Daily Torpor and Thermoregulation in the Small Dasyurid Marsupials Planigale-Gilesi and Ningaui-Yvonneae

1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 473 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Geiser ◽  
RV Baudinette
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Daily Torpor ◽  
Small Species ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Strong Selective Pressure

Torpor in endotherms has only been observed in small species, suggesting that body mass determines the occurrence of torpor. The present study investigates the influence of body mass on the occurrence of torpor and also the pattern of torpor (i.e. minimum body temperature, metabolic rate, and the duration of torpor). The two small dasyurid marsupials Planigale gilesi (8.3 g) and Ningaui yvonneae (11.6 g) entered torpor frequently when food was available; withdrawal of food increased the occurrence of torpor to almost 100%. Minimum body temperatures during torpor in both species were lower and the torpor duration was longer than for most larger dasyurid species studied so far. These findings suggest that the thermal stress on these very small species exerts a strong selective pressure to enhance daily torpor episodes for reduction of heat loss to the environment.

scholarly journals Do small precocial birds enter torpor to conserve energy during development?

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (21) ◽  
pp. jeb231761
Author(s):  
Yaara Aharon-Rotman ◽  
Gerhard Körtner ◽  
Chris B. Wacker ◽  
Fritz Geiser
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Infrared Thermometer ◽  
Common Strategy ◽  
Energy Conserving ◽  
Altricial Birds ◽  
Precocial Birds

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.

Torpor and hibernation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Energy Input ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arid Areas ◽  
Daily Torpor ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Small Species ◽  
Universal Feature ◽  
Deep Hibernation

A diurnal (circadian) rhythm in body temperature is a widespread, and possibly universal, feature of endotherms. Some mammals and birds down-regulate their metabolic rate significantly by night, allowing their body temperature to drop sufficiently that they become inactive and enter torpor. Both the minimum temperature achieved and the duration of torpor are highly variable. Daily torpor is principally a response to reduced energy intake, and a drop in ambient temperature. Hibernation is essentially an extreme form of torpor. Small mammals hibernating at high latitudes have regular arousals during which they urinate and may feed. Bears hibernate with relatively high body temperature, and do not undergo arousal. Only one bird, the poorwill, is known to hibernate. Rewarming during arousal may be fuelled exclusively by metabolism (for example in small mammals in the Arctic) or with significant energy input from basking (for example in subtropical arid areas). The capacity for torpor appears to be an ancestral character in both mammals and birds, possibly related to the origin of endothermy in small species subject to marked diurnal and/or seasonal variation in body temperature. Both deep hibernation and strict endothermy are probably derived characteristics.

The relationship between body mass and rate of rewarming from hibernation and daily torpor in mammals

1990 ◽  
Vol 151 (1) ◽  
pp. 349-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Geiser ◽  
R. V. Baudinette
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Basal Metabolic Rate ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
The Other ◽  
Daily Torpor ◽  
Pronounced Increase ◽  
The Relationship

1. Rewarming rate from torpor and body mass were inversely related in 86 mammals ranging in body mass between 2 and 8500 g. 2. Most of the mammalian taxa investigated showed a similar change of rewarming rate with body mass. Only the insectivores showed a more pronounced increase in rewarming with a decrease in body mass than did the other taxa. The rates of rewarming of marsupials were similar to those of placentals. 3. At low air temperature (Ta), the rate of rewarming of marsupials was not related to body mass, although a strong relationship between the two variables was observed in the same species at high Ta. 4. The slopes relating rewarming rates and body mass of the mammalian groups and taxa analysed here were similar to those obtained earlier for mass-specific basal metabolic rate (BMR) and body mass in mammals, suggesting that the rate of rewarming and BMR are physiologically linked.

Perfusions of the posterior hypothalamus of cats with various ions and saccharides: effects on body temperature

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Jones ◽  
W. L. Veale ◽  
K. E. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Posterior Hypothalamus ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Vasomotor Tone ◽  
Hypothalamic Area ◽  
Hypothalamic Region ◽  
Energy Substrate ◽  
Available Energy ◽  
Perfusion Solution

Alterations of the ionic constituents of solutions perfused through the tissue of the posterior hypothalamic region in conscious cats elicited changes in body temperatures. Increasing the [Ca2+] to [Na+] ratio of the perfusion solution elicited falls in body temperature which were accompanied by changes in posture and vasomotor tone which assisted the heat loss. The magnitude of the fall was dependent on the ratio of [Ca2+] to [Na+] and was not related to the osmolarity of perfusion solution. The addition of dextrose to the perfusion solution attenuated or abolished the response produced by an increase in the [Ca2+] to [Na+] ratio. This dextrose effect could be attributed to its role as an energy substrate. These data are consistent with and extend previous suggestions that the set point for body temperature may be dependent on the inherent ratio of the ionic constituents of the posterior hypothalamic area. Further, they suggest that these ionically induced alterations can be overriden by increasing the available energy substrate.

Temperature regulation in the new-born lamb. V. Summit metabolism

1962 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Rectal Temperature ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Prolonged Fasting ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Summit Metabolic Rate

"Summit metabolism" was estimated by measuring respiratory exchange during a 20 min period of falling rectal temperature. The rate of fall was controlled at about 1°C per 20 min, by varying the wind velocity while the lamb was exposed to conditions of high heat loss. At body temperatures near normal, summit metabolism was not predictable from rectal temperature. Below 36°C the metabolic rate was proportional to rectal temperature. When expressed as kilocalories per kilogram per hour, summit metabolism in young lambs was approximately constant at all body weights, and hence summit, metabolism per unit of surface area increased with increasing body weight. Heavy lambs are therefore able to maintain homeothermy under conditions of higher heat loss than light lambs. Summit metabolism was usually established at about 17 kcal kg-1 hr-1 within half an hour of birth, i.e. heat production increased rapidly to 15 times foetal levels or five times "basal" levels. There was no increase after ingestion of milk, and the summit metabolic rate appeared to decline slowly with advancing age. It also declined during prolonged exposure to cold and during prolonged fasting, particularly in very young lambs. Blood analyses indicated a great mobilization of fat and carbohydrate during exposure to conditions which evoked a summit response. The practical significance of these results is discussed.

Standard metabolic rate and preferred body temperatures in some Australian pythons

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin S. Bedford ◽  
Keith A. Christian
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Thermal Sensitivity ◽  
Standard Metabolic Rate ◽  
Allometric Equations ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Daily Cycle ◽  
Preferred Body Temperature

Pythons have standard metabolic rates and preferred body temperatures that are lower than those of most other reptiles. This study investigated metabolic rates and preferred body temperatures of seven taxa of Australian pythons. We found that Australian pythons have particularly low metabolic rates when compared with other boid snakes, and that the metabolic rates of the pythons did not change either seasonally or on a daily cycle. Preferred body temperatures do vary seasonally in some species but not in others. Across all species and seasons, the preferred body temperature range was only 4.9˚C. The thermal sensitivity (Q10) of oxygen consumption by pythons conformed to the established range of between 2 and 3. Allometric equations for the pooled python data at each of the experimental temperatures gave an equation exponent of 0.72–0.76, which is similar to previously reported values. By having low preferred body temperatures and low metabolic rates, pythons appear to be able to conserve energy while still maintaining a vigilant ‘sit and wait’ predatory existence. These physiological attributes would allow pythons to maximise the time they can spend ‘sitting and waiting’ in the pursuit of prey.

scholarly journals Heart rate reveals torpor at high body temperatures in lowland tropical free-tailed bats

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 171359 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Teague O'Mara ◽  
Sebastian Rikker ◽  
Martin Wikelski ◽  
Andries Ter Maat ◽  
Henry S. Pollock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
The Body ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Save Energy ◽  
Molossus Molossus

Reduction in metabolic rate and body temperature is a common strategy for small endotherms to save energy. The daily reduction in metabolic rate and heterothermy, or torpor, is particularly pronounced in regions with a large variation in daily ambient temperature. This applies most strongly in temperate bat species (order Chiroptera), but it is less clear how tropical bats save energy if ambient temperatures remain high. However, many subtropical and tropical species use some daily heterothermy on cool days. We recorded the heart rate and the body temperature of free-ranging Pallas' mastiff bats ( Molossus molossus ) in Gamboa, Panamá, and showed that these individuals have low field metabolic rates across a wide range of body temperatures that conform to high ambient temperature. Importantly, low metabolic rates in controlled respirometry trials were best predicted by heart rate, and not body temperature . Molossus molossus enter torpor-like states characterized by low metabolic rate and heart rates at body temperatures of 32°C, and thermoconform across a range of temperatures. Flexible metabolic strategies may be far more common in tropical endotherms than currently known.

Ventilatory and metabolic responses to hypoxia during moderate hypothermia in anesthetized rats

1995 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 256-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Frappell ◽  
K. Westwood ◽  
M. Maskrey
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Metabolic Responses ◽  
Moderate Hypothermia ◽  
O2 Consumption ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Anesthetized Rats ◽  
Per Se

In resting euthermic mammals, hypoxia elicits a hyperventilation that results from a combination of hyperpnea and hypometabolism. Often accompanying the hypoxia-induced hypometabolism is a drop in body temperature. To separate the synergic effects of hypothermia per se from the direct effects of hypoxia on metabolic rate, ventilation (VE), and O2 consumption (VO2) were measured in anesthetized rats fitted with abdominal heat exchangers and maintained at either normothermic (37.5 degrees C) or hypothermic (35 degrees C) body temperatures while exposed to either normoxia or hypoxia (7% O2). Hypothermia induced parallel decreases in VE and VO2, thereby maintaining VE/VO2. Hypoxia resulted in a hyperventilation achieved with the same relative decrease in VO2 and increase in VE in both normothermic and hypothermic rats. The results suggest that 1) the changes in metabolic rate and VE during hypothermia reflect a direct effect of cold and, 2) because of similar levels of hypoxic hyperventilation in the hypothermic and normothermic rats, relative to metabolic rate, respiratory gain has not been depressed in hypothermic rats.

Hibernation in the Eastern Pygmy Possum, Cercartetus-Nanus (Marsupialia, Burramyidae)

1993 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Geiser
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
The Body ◽  
Daily Torpor ◽  
Rate Of Oxygen Consumption ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Cercartetus Nanus ◽  
Torpor Bouts

The pattern of torpor was examined in the eastern pygmy possum, Cercartetus nanus (21 g). Animals displayed torpor regularly in the laboratory, and the occurrence of torpor increased with decreasing air temperature (T(a)). At high T(a) (18-degrees-C) animals usually exhibited daily torpor, but torpor bouts of up to 2 days were observed occasionally. The duration of torpor bouts lengthened with a lowering of T(a) and the mean bout duration at T(a) = 5-degrees-C was 17.0 +/- 2.5 days. The minimum metabolic rate (measured as rate of oxygen consumption) of torpid individuals was 0.018 +/- 0.003 mL O2 g-1 h-1, which is less than 2% of the basal metabolic rate. The body temperature (T(b)) Of torpid animals fell to a minimum of 1.3 +/- 0.4-degrees-C. These results clearly demonstrate that Cercartetus nanus is a deep hibernator.

Defending body mass during food restriction in Acomys russatus: a desert rodent that does not store food

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (4) ◽  
pp. R881-R891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roee Gutman ◽  
Itzhak Choshniak ◽  
Noga Kronfeld-Schor
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Food Restriction ◽  
Daily Torpor ◽  
Spiny Mice ◽  
Desert Rodent ◽  
Initial Decrease

Golden spiny mice, which inhabit rocky deserts and do not store food, must therefore employ physiological means to cope with periods of food shortage. Here we studied the physiological means used by golden spiny mice for conserving energy during food restriction and refeeding and the mechanism by which food consumption may influence thermoregulatory mechanisms and metabolic rate. As comparison, we studied the response to food restriction of another rocky desert rodent, Wagner’s gerbil, which accumulates large seed caches. Ten out of 12 food-restricted spiny mice (resistant) were able to defend their body mass after an initial decrease, as opposed to Wagner’s gerbils ( n = 6). Two of the spiny mice (nonresistant) kept losing weight, and their food restriction was halted. In four resistant and two nonresistant spiny mice, we measured heart rate, body temperature, and oxygen consumption during food restriction. The resistant spiny mice significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced energy expenditure and entered daily torpor. The nonresistant spiny mice did not reduce their energy expenditure. The gerbils’ response to food restriction was similar to that of the nonresistant spiny mice. Resistant spiny mice leptin levels dropped significantly ( n = 6, P < 0.05) after 24 h of food restriction, and continued to decrease throughout food restriction, as did body fat. During refeeding, although the golden spiny mice gained fat, leptin levels were not correlated with body mass ( r2 = 0.014). It is possible that this low correlation allows them to continue eating and accumulate fat when food is plentiful.

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