Cold-hardiness and dehydration resistance of hatchling Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii): implications for overwintering in a terrestrial habitat

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 594-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A Dinkelacker ◽  
Jon P Costanzo ◽  
John B Iverson ◽  
Richard E Lee, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Freeze Tolerance ◽  
Frozen Soil ◽  
Terrestrial Habitat ◽  
Evaporative Water ◽  
Emydoidea Blandingii ◽  
Ice Nuclei ◽  
Inoculative Freezing

The overwintering habits of hatchling Blanding's turtles, Emydoidea blandingii (Holbrook, 1838), are not well understood. To ascertain whether these turtles are well suited to hibernation on land, we examined susceptibility to dehydration, supercooling capacity, resistance to inoculative freezing, capacity for freeze tolerance, and physiological responses to somatic freezing in laboratory-reared, hatchling E. blandingii. Rates of evaporative water loss (mean ± SE = 4.1 ± 0.2 mg·g–1·d–1) were intermediate to rates previously reported for the hatchlings of species known to hibernate on land and in water. Supercooled hatchlings recovered from a 1-h exposure to –8 °C or a 7-d exposure to –4 °C. Additional turtles supercooled to –14.3 ± 1.2 °C (mean ± SE) before spontaneously freezing. However, when immersed in frozen soil, their capacity to supercool was severely limited by an inability to resist inoculative freezing following contact with external ice and ice nuclei. Therefore, hatchlings likely do not use supercooling as a winter survival strategy. Hatchlings tolerated a 72-h period of somatic freezing to –3.5 °C and responded to somatic freezing by increasing plasma concentrations of the putative cryoprotectants lactate and glucose. Our results suggest that hatchling E. blandingii could overwinter in moist, terrestrial hibernacula where risk of dehydration is reduced and freeze tolerance is promoted.

Inoculative freezing promotes winter survival in hatchling diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Baker ◽  
J P Costanzo ◽  
R Herlands ◽  
R C Wood ◽  
R E Lee, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Freeze Tolerance ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Diamondback Terrapin ◽  
Malaclemys Terrapin ◽  
High Susceptibility ◽  
Freeze Avoidance ◽  
Inoculative Freezing ◽  
Diamondback Terrapins

We investigated the hibernation ecology and cold hardiness of hatchling diamondback terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin (Schoepf, 1793), an estuarine species that reaches 42°N along the Atlantic Ocean. During 3 years of study, about 50% of the nests we monitored harboured hatchlings during winter, and the majority (87%) of these individuals survived despite being intermittently exposed to subfreezing temperatures. Most such exposures were brief (ca. 12 h) and mild (minimum temperature: ca. –1.2 °C); however, turtles were occasionally subjected to longer chilling episodes and lower temperatures. In laboratory experiments, hatchlings supercooled extensively, attaining ca. –15 °C before spontaneously freezing. However, they were highly susceptible to inoculative freezing through contact with external ice and (or) ice-nucleating agents, which occur in nesting soil. Therefore, freeze avoidance through supercooling does not appear to be a viable cold-hardiness strategy in these turtles. Hatchlings subjected to experimental freezing survived exposure to temperatures as low as –3.0 °C, suggesting that freeze tolerance may account for the high winter survival observed in natural nests. We conclude that freeze tolerance in hatchling M. terrapin is promoted by high susceptibility to inoculation, which is known to moderate freezing, allowing cells time to adapt to the attendant physical and osmotic stresses.

Soil hydric characteristics and environmental ice nuclei influence supercooling capacity of hatchling painted turtles Chrysemys picta.

1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (22) ◽  
pp. 3105-3112 ◽  
Author(s):  
J P Costanzo ◽  
J D Litzgus ◽  
J B Iverson ◽  
R E Lee
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Frozen Soil ◽  
Chrysemys Picta ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Differential Mortality ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Painted Turtles ◽  
Ice Nuclei ◽  
Native Soil ◽  
Inoculative Freezing

Hatchling painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) hibernate in their shallow natal nests where temperatures occasionally fall below -10 C during cold winters. Because the thermal limit of freeze tolerance in this species is approximately -4 C, hatchlings rely on supercooling to survive exposure to extreme cold. We investigated the influence of environmental ice nuclei on susceptibility to inoculative freezing in hatchling C. picta indigenous to the Sandhills of west-central Nebraska. In the absence of external ice nuclei, hatchlings cooled to -14.6 1.9 C (mean s.e.m.; N=5) before spontaneously freezing. Supercooling capacity varied markedly among turtles cooled in physical contact with sandy soil collected from nesting locales or samples of the native soil to which water-binding agents (clay or peat) had been added, despite the fact that all substrata contained the same amount of moisture (7.5 % moisture, w/w). The temperature of crystallization (Tc) of turtles exposed to frozen native soil was -1.6 0.4 C (N=5), whereas turtles exposed to frozen soil/clay and soil/peat mixtures supercooled extensively (mean Tc values approximately -13 C). Hatchlings cooled in contact with drier (less than or equal to 4 % moisture) native soil also supercooled extensively. Thus, inoculative freezing is promoted by exposure to sandy soils containing abundant moisture and little clay or organic matter. Soil collected at turtle nesting locales in mid and late winter contained variable amounts of moisture (4-15 % w/w) and organic matter (1-3 % w/w). In addition to ice, the soil at turtle nesting locales may harbor inorganic and organic ice nuclei that may also seed the freezing of hatchlings. Bulk samples of native soil, which were autoclaved to destroy any organic nuclei, nucleated aqueous solutions at approximately -7 C (Tc range -6.1 to -8.2 C). Non-autoclaved samples contained water-extractable, presumably organic, ice nuclei (Tc range -4.4 to -5.3 C). Ice nuclei of both classes varied in potency among turtle nesting locales. Interaction with ice nuclei in the winter microenvironment determines whether hatchling C. picta remain supercooled or freeze and may ultimately account for differential mortality in nests at a given locale and for variation in winter survival rates among populations.

Seasonal changes in physiology and development of cold hardiness in the hatchling painted turtle Chrysemys picta

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (22) ◽  
pp. 3459-3470 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.P. Costanzo ◽  
J.D. Litzgus ◽  
J.B. Iverson ◽  
R.E. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Chrysemys Picta ◽  
Chelydra Serpentina ◽  
Ice Nuclei ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
Inoculative Freezing ◽  
Freeze Tolerant ◽  
Cold Hardy

Hatchling painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) commonly hibernate in shallow, natal nests where winter temperatures may fall below −10 degrees C. Although hatchlings are moderately freeze-tolerant, they apparently rely on supercooling to survive exposure to severe cold. We investigated seasonal changes in physiology and in the development of supercooling capacity and resistance to inoculative freezing in hatchling Chrysemys picta exposed in the laboratory to temperatures that decreased from 22 to 4 degrees C over a 5.5 month period. For comparison, we also studied hatchling snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), a less cold-hardy species that usually overwinters under water. Although Chrysemys picta and Chelydra serpentina differed in some physiological responses, both species lost dry mass, catabolized lipid and tended to gain body water during the acclimation regimen. Recently hatched, 22 degrees C-acclimated Chrysemys picta supercooled only modestly (mean temperature of crystallization −6.3+/−0.2 degrees C; N=6) and were susceptible to inoculation by ice nuclei in a frozen substratum (mean temperature of crystallization −1.1+/−0.1 degrees C; N=6) (means +/− s.e.m.). In contrast, cold-acclimated turtles exhibited pronounced capacities for supercooling and resistance to inoculative freezing. The development of cold hardiness reflected the elimination or deactivation of potent endogenous ice nuclei and an elevation of blood osmolality that was due primarily to the retention of urea, but was not associated with accumulation of the polyols, sugars or amino acids commonly found in the cryoprotection systems of other animals. Also, Chrysemys picta (and Chelydra serpentina) lacked both antifreeze proteins and ice-nucleating proteins, which are used by some animals to promote supercooling and to initiate freezing at the high temperatures conducive to freezing survival, respectively.

scholarly journals 267 Supplementing Ca salts of soybean oil to late-gestating beef cows: Impacts on performance and physiological responses of the offspring

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 192-192
Author(s):  
Alice Brandão ◽  
Reinaldo F Cooke ◽  
Kelsey Schubach ◽  
Bruna Rett ◽  
Osvaldo Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soybean Oil ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Late Gestation ◽  
Muscle Area ◽  
Matter Basis

Abstract This experiment compared performance and physiological responses of the offspring from cows supplemented with Ca salts of soybean oil (CSSO) or prilled saturated fat (CON) during late gestation. Non-lactating, pregnant Angus × Hereford cows (n = 104) that conceived during the same fixed-time artificial insemination protocol, using semen from 2 sires, were used in this experiment. Cows were ranked by pregnancy sire, body weight (BW), and body condition score (BCS). On d 180 of gestation (d -15), cows were randomly assigned to receive (dry matter basis) 415 g of soybean meal per cow daily in addition to 1) 195 g/cow daily of CSSO (n = 52) or 2) 170 g/cow daily of CON (n = 52). Cows were maintained in 2 pastures (26 cows/treatment per pasture), and received daily 12.7 kg/cow (dry matter basis) of grass-alfalfa hay. From d 0 until calving, cows were segregated into 1 of 24 feeding pens thrice weekly and received treatments individually. Cow BW and BCS were recorded, and blood samples were collected on d -15 of the experiment and within 12 h after calving. Calf BW was also recorded and blood sample collected within 12 h of calving. Calves were weaned on d 290 of the experiment, preconditioned for 35 d (d 291 to 325), and transferred to a feedyard where they remained until slaughter. Upon calving, CSSO cows and calves had greater (P < 0.01) plasma concentrations of linoleic acid and total ω - 6 FA compared with CON cohorts. No differences in calf birth BW, weaning BW, and final preconditioning BW were noted (P ≥ 0.36) between treatments. Average daily gain and final BW in the feedlot were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in steers from CSSO cows compared with CON. The incidence of calves diagnosed with BRD that required a second antimicrobial treatment was less (P = 0.03) in calves from CSSO cows, resulting in reduced (P = 0.05) need of treatments to regain health compared with CON (Table 5). Upon slaughter, longissimus muscle area was greater (P = 0.03) in calves from CSSO cows compared with CON. Collectively, these results suggest that supplementing CSSO to late-gestating beef cows stimulated programming effects on postnatal offspring growth and Page 2 of 15 For Peer Review health. Therefore, supplementing late-gestating beef cows with CSSO appears to optimize offspring welfare and productivity in beef production systems.

scholarly journals Biophysical and Physiological Responses promoting Freeze Tolerance in Vertebrates

Physiology ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 252-256
Author(s):  
JP Costanzo ◽  
RE, Lee
Keyword(s):  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Freeze Tolerance

Freeze tolerance, an overwintering adaptation of at least 10 species of ectothermic vertebrates, is promoted by integrated biophysical and physiological responses to ice forming within tissues. Application of physiological principles of natural freeze tolerance has accelerated the development of protocols for cryopreserving mammalian organs.

scholarly journals Cold hardiness of peach flowers at different phenological stages

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 119-124
Author(s):  
László Szalay ◽  
Imre Gergő Gyökös ◽  
Zsuzsanna Békefi
Keyword(s):  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Freeze Tolerance ◽  
Phenological Stages ◽  
Climate Chamber ◽  
Cold Damage ◽  
Artificial Freezing ◽  
Delayed Development ◽  
Phenological Phases ◽  
Generative Organs

At the colder peach production regions it is important to know the cold hardiness of peach cultivars at different phenological stages of flowering. In our experiment, artificial freezing tests were conducted in a climate chamber in five selected years between the period of 2007 and 2016 to determine the freeze tolerance of generative organs of three peach cultivars (‘Venus’, ‘Redhaven’, ‘Piroska’) at different phenological stages of bloom. Based on the results of the laboratory freezing tests LT<sub>50</sub> values were calculated. Our results showed that LT<sub>50</sub> values of examined peach cultivars in swelled bud stage averaged over five years were between –6.8 and –11.2°C according to cultivar, and as phenological phases progressed, cold hardiness of generative organs decreased. At the end of bloom LT<sub>50</sub> values varied between –1.7 and –4.1°C. Cultivar ‘Piroska’ had the highest freeze tolerance and cultivar ‘Venus’ showed the lowest in each year studied. This study shows that trees with delayed development are more prone to cold damage to flowers.  

scholarly journals Supplementing Ca salts of soybean oil to late-gestating beef cows: impacts on performance and physiological responses of the offspring

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Poggi Brandão ◽  
Reinaldo F Cooke ◽  
Kelsey M Schubach ◽  
Bruna Rett ◽  
Osvaldo A Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soybean Oil ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Myogenic Differentiation ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Late Gestation ◽  
Fatty Acid Binding ◽  
Matter Basis

Abstract This experiment compared the performance and physiological responses of the offspring from cows supplemented with Ca salts of soybean oil (CSSO) or prilled saturated fat (CON) during late gestation. Nonlactating, pregnant, multiparous Angus × Hereford cows (n = 104) that conceived during the same fixed-time artificial insemination protocol were assigned to this experiment. Cows were ranked by pregnancy sire (one of two sires), body weight (BW), and body condition score (BCS) on day −15 of the experiment (day 180 of gestation). Cows were then assigned to receive (dry matter basis) 415 g of soybean meal per cow daily in addition to: 1) 195 g/cow daily of CSSO (n = 52) or 2) 170 g/cow daily of CON (n = 52). Cows were maintained in two pastures (26 cows/treatment per pasture) and received daily 12.7 kg/cow (dry matter basis) of grass-alfalfa hay from day −15 to calving. Cows were segregated into 1 of 24 feeding pens three times weekly and received treatments individually from day 0 to calving. Calves were weaned on day 290 of the experiment, preconditioned for 35 d (day 291 to 325), and transferred to a feedyard, where they remained until slaughter (day 514). Cows receiving CSSO and their calves had greater (P &lt; 0.01) plasma concentrations of linoleic acid and total ω-6 PUFA compared with CON after calving. Concentrations of immunoglobulin G in the colostrum and in calf plasma 24 h after birth were greater (P ≤ 0.02) in CSSO vs. CON cattle. Calves from CSSO cows had greater (P ≤ 0.05) expression of adipogenic (adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein and stearoyl-CoA desaturase) and myogenic (myogenic differentiation 1 and myogenin) genes in the longissimus muscle (LM) compared with CON. No treatment differences in birth BW, weaning BW, and final preconditioning BW were noted (P ≥ 0.36). Average daily gain and final BW in the feedyard were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in steers from CSSO cows compared with CON. The incidence of calves diagnosed with BRD that required a second antimicrobial treatment was less (P = 0.03) in calves from CSSO cows, resulting in reduced (P = 0.05) need of treatments to regain health compared with CON. Upon slaughter, LM area was greater (P = 0.03) in calves from CSSO cows compared with CON. Collectively, these results are indicative of programming effects on postnatal offspring growth and health resultant from CSSO supplementation to late-gestating cows. Hence, supplementing CSSO to beef cows during pregnancy might be a feasible alternative to optimize offspring productivity and welfare.

Effects of different monochromatic LED light colours on fear reactions and physiological responses in Mulard ducks

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radi A. Mohamed ◽  
Usama A. Abou-Ismail ◽  
Mustafa Shukry
Keyword(s):  
Tonic Immobility ◽  
Leukocyte Count ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Monochromatic Light ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Green Light ◽  
Total Leukocyte Count ◽  
Physiological Indicators ◽  
And Performance

Although the effects of monochromatic light on behaviour and performance of birds have been extensively studied, it is not known how rearing Mulard ducks in different monochromatic lights affects their fear reactions, physiological responses to stress and welfare. A total of 108 newly hatched Mulard ducks, representing three replicates, were housed in either blue light (BL), green light (GL), red light (RL) or white light (WL) for 12 weeks. Ducks were exposed to a light/dark schedule of 23 L/1 D, and food and water were provided ad libitum. At the beginning of the 13th week of the rearing period, behavioural measurements of fear were assessed by using a tonic immobility test, open field test and fear of man test. Physiological responses of the birds to stress such as heterophil : lymphocyte ratio, total leukocyte count and plasma concentrations of corticosterone were also assessed. Results demonstrated that birds exposed to both RL and WL displayed higher levels of behavioural indicators of fear including tonic immobility durations (P < 0.01), latency to first immobilisation (P < 0.001) and avoidance of man index (P < 0.001), and higher levels of physiological indicators of stress such as heterophil : lymphocyte ratios (P < 0.001) and plasmas concentrations of corticosterone (P < 0.001), and lower total leukocytic counts (P < 0.01) compared with birds exposed to either BL or GL. Rearing Mulard ducks in BL or GL appeared to reduce their fear reactions and physiological responses to stress and to enhance their ability to cope with the environment and may therefore improve their welfare.

Water Balance of the Camel

1956 ◽  
Vol 185 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen ◽  
Knut Schmidt-Nielsen ◽  
T. R. Houpt ◽  
S. A. Jarnum
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Water Loss ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
The Body ◽  
Evaporative Water Loss ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Evaporative Water ◽  
Hot Environment ◽  
Dry Food ◽  
High Degree

Camels ( Camelus dromedarius) were exposed to prolonged periods of water deprivation during winter, spring and summer in the Sahara desert. Determinations were made of: weight changes, water and food intake, urine flow and concentrations, plasma concentrations, etc. It was found that the camel can tolerate a loss of water corresponding to 30% of its body weight even when exposed to the severe desert heat. Other mammals dehydrated in a hot environment may die from circulatory failure already when the water loss involves 12% of the body weight. Unlike many other mammals the camel does not lose its appetite when deprived of water but continues to eat normally until the desiccation becomes very severe. It has a low urine output (0.5–1 l/day when kept on a diet of dates and hay), a low water content in the feces, and, when dehydrated in the summer, a very low evaporative water loss. When offered water the camel drinks in 10 minutes enough water for complete rehydration. The longest period that we kept a camel on dry food without drinking water in the hot summer was 17 days. This camel was not working and it had its protective fur which decreased the heat gain from the environment. It is concluded that the ability of the camel to withstand prolonged dehydration is due to: a) tolerance to an extremely high degree of desiccation of the body and b) low overall water expenditure. Particularly effective as a water conserving mechanism is the low evaporative water loss during dehydration in the summer.

scholarly journals Physiological responses of Houbara bustards to high ambient temperatures

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Irene Tieleman ◽  
Joseph B. Williams ◽  
Frédéric LaCroix ◽  
Patrick Paillat
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Resting Metabolic Rate ◽  
High Ambient Temperature ◽  
Physiological Mechanisms ◽  
Evaporative Water ◽  
Heat Gain ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
Dry Heat

SUMMARYDesert birds often experience a scarcity of drinking water and food and must survive episodes of high ambient temperature (Ta). The physiological mechanisms that promote survival during extended periods of high Ta have received little attention. We investigated the physiological responses of wild-caught and captive-reared Houbara bustards, Chlamydotis macqueenii, to Ta values ranging from below 0°C to 55°C, well above those in most previous studies of birds. Captive-reared Houbara bustards (mass 1245±242 g, N=7, mean ± s.d.) in summer have a resting metabolic rate (RMR) of 261.4 kJ day–1, 26 % below allometric predictions, and a total evaporative water loss (TEWL) at 25°C of 25.8 g day–1, 31 % below predictions. When Ta exceeded body temperature (Tb), the dry heat transfer coefficient decreased, a finding supporting the prediction that birds should minimize dry heat gain from the environment at high Ta values. Houbara bustards withstand high Ta values without becoming hyperthermic; at 45°C, Tb was on average 0.9°C higher than at 25°C. RMR and TEWL of captive-bred Houbara bustards were 23 % and 46 % higher in winter than in summer, respectively. Captive-reared Houbara bustards had a 17 % lower RMR and a 28 % lower TEWL than wild-born birds with similar genetic backgrounds. Differences in body composition between wild-caught and captive-reared birds were correlated with differences in physiological performance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document