Basking behaviour and torpor use in free-ranging Planigale gilesi

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Warnecke ◽  
Fritz Geiser

We investigated the importance of energy-conserving strategies for free-ranging Planigale gilesi in arid Australia. We monitored torpor use and basking behaviour using internal temperature-sensitive transmitters. Torpor was used every day; the maximum torpor bout duration was 18.2 h and the minimum body temperature was 10.5°C. Basking behaviour was observed during rewarming from torpor as well as during normothermia. The use of torpor and basking is likely to reduce the energy requirements of P. gilesi, thus helping it to survive in a harsh and unpredictable environment.

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 1885-1890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert MR Barclay ◽  
Cori L Lausen ◽  
Lydia Hollis

With the development of small implantable data loggers and externally attached temperature-sensitive radio transmitters, increasing attention is being paid to determining the thermoregulatory strategies of free-ranging birds and mammals. One of the constraints of such studies is that without a direct measure of metabolic rate, it is difficult to determine the significance of lowered body temperatures. We surveyed the literature and found that many different definitions have been used to discriminate torpor from normothermy. Many studies use arbitrary temperature thresholds without regard for the normothermic body temperature of the individuals or species involved. This variation makes comparison among studies difficult and means that ecologically and energetically significant small reductions in body temperature may be overlooked. We suggest that normothermic body temperature for each individual animal should be determined and that torpor be defined as occurring when the body temperature drops below that level. When individuals' active temperatures are not available, a species-specific value should be used. Of greater value, however, are the depth and duration of torpor bouts. We suggest several advantages of this definition over those used in the past.


2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie A MacKinnon ◽  
Anna Lawson ◽  
E D Stevens ◽  
Ronald J Brooks

We examined the thermal biology of free-ranging terrestrial eastern foxsnakes (Elaphe gloydi Conant, 1940) that were voluntarily swimming in cold water during spring, in Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada. Using temperature-sensitive radiotelemetry, we recorded body temperatures of foxsnakes during 12 cold-water swims, and subsequent warming on shore. During these swims, water temperatures were from 11 to 22 °C and distances of 85–1330 m were travelled. Snakes that were in cold water long enough equilibrated with water temperature and did not maintain a body temperature above ambient. The largest observed drop in body temperature was 22.6 °C (over 11 min) and the largest increase was 23 °C (over 66 min). Such large, rapid temperature fluctuations have not previously been reported in detail from snakes in the field. Twice as many telemetry observations as expected occurred between 1200 and 1400, suggesting that snakes chose to swim midday. Additionally, our results suggest that foxsnakes bask to raise their body temperature prior to swimming in cold water. We compared swimming speed and the coefficient of temperature change among foxsnakes and other snake species. Swimming speed was positively correlated with water temperature, similar to other findings. We found no clear trend between mass and the coefficients of cooling and warming; however, snakes cooled in water 2.8–8.6 times faster than they warmed in air.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1930932
Author(s):  
Matiwos Habte ◽  
Mitiku Eshetu ◽  
Melesse Maryo ◽  
Dereje Andualem ◽  
Abiyot Legesse ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 719-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Darwent ◽  
Xuan Zhou ◽  
Cameron van den Heuvel ◽  
Charli Sargent ◽  
Greg D. Roach

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Signer ◽  
Thomas Ruf ◽  
Franz Schober ◽  
Gerhard Fluch ◽  
Thomas Paumann ◽  
...  

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1549
Author(s):  
Qian Yang ◽  
Xi Wang ◽  
Xin Ding ◽  
Qiao Li

Textile temperature sensors are highly in demanded keep a real-time and accurate track of human body temperature for identification of healthy conditions or clinical diagnosis. Among various materials for textile temperature sensors, temperature-sensitive metal fibers have highest precision. However, those metal fibers are mechanically too weak, and break constantly during the weaving process. To enhance the mechanical strength of the metal fibers, this paper proposes to make wrapped metal fibers using wrapping technology, and characterize the effect of wrapped metal yarns on both mechanical properties and sensing behaviors. The wrapped yarns were woven into fabrics, forming the fabric temperature sensors. Results show that strength and maximum strain of the wrapped yarns are 2.69 and 1.82 times of pure Pt fibers. The response time of fabric temperature sensors using wrapped yarns was observed as 0.78 s and 1.1 s longer compared to that using Pt fibers when front and back sides contacted heat source, respectively. It is recommended that the wrapping method should be implemented for the protection of Pt fibers in fabric temperature sensors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (21) ◽  
pp. jeb231761
Author(s):  
Yaara Aharon-Rotman ◽  
Gerhard Körtner ◽  
Chris B. Wacker ◽  
Fritz Geiser

ABSTRACTPrecocial birds hatch feathered and mobile, but when they become fully endothermic soon after hatching, their heat loss is high and they may become energy depleted. These chicks could benefit from using energy-conserving torpor, which is characterised by controlled reductions of metabolism and body temperature (Tb). We investigated at what age the precocial king quail Coturnix chinensis can defend a high Tb under a mild thermal challenge and whether they can express torpor soon after achieving endothermy to overcome energetic and thermal challenges. Measurements of surface temperature (Ts) using an infrared thermometer showed that king quail chicks are partially endothermic at 2–10 days, but can defend high Tb at a body mass of ∼13 g. Two chicks expressed shallow nocturnal torpor at 14 and 17 days for 4–5 h with a reduction of metabolism by >40% and another approached the torpor threshold. Although chicks were able to rewarm endogenously from the first torpor bout, metabolism and Ts decreased again by the end of the night, but they rewarmed passively when removed from the chamber. The total metabolic rate increased with body mass. All chicks measured showed a greater reduction of nocturnal metabolism than previously reported in quails. Our data show that shallow torpor can be expressed during the early postnatal phase of quails, when thermoregulatory efficiency is still developing, but heat loss is high. We suggest that torpor may be a common strategy for overcoming challenging conditions during development in small precocial and not only altricial birds.


2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 270-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Hilmer ◽  
Dave Algar ◽  
Martin Plath ◽  
Elke Schleucher

1970 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry F. Downhower ◽  
J. Donald Pauley

2001 ◽  
Vol 149 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Kamerman ◽  
A. Fuller ◽  
A. S. Faurie ◽  
G. Mitchell ◽  
D. Mitchell

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