Early Postnatal Growth and the Development of Temperature Regulation in the Mongolian Gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus

McManus, John J.

doi:10.2307/1378926

Cited by 50 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Mongolian gerbils are reported to have a high level of BMR, a moderate thermal conductance, a lower critical temperature of about 25°C, a higher upper critical temperature, and a high heat tolerance (Robinson 1959, McManus and Mele 1969, Luebbert et al 1979. Our results are consistent with these conclusions.…”

Section: Thermal Conductancesupporting

confidence: 90%

Metabolism and thermoregulation in the Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatus

Wang¹,

Wang²,

Zuwang³

2000

Acta Theriol.

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Oxygen consumption, thermal conductance and body temperature of Meriones unguiculatus (Milne-Edwards, 1867) were measured at a temperature range from 5 to 40°C. The lowest mean metabolic rate (BMR) was 2.13 ± 0.14 ml0 2 g" 1 • h~\ which is higher than the predicted values based on their body mass. The thermal neutral zone (TNZ) was 26 to 38°C. Mean body temperature below the TNZ was 38.4 ± 0.5°C. Mean thermal conductance below the TNZ was 0.179 ± 0.037 ml0 2 g", which is also higher than predicted values based on their body mass. Thermoregulatory characteristics of Mongolian gerbils are very different from that found in arid-adapted small mammals. The extreme severe climate perhaps is the main selective force faced by Mongolian gerbils during their evolution with their macroenvironments.

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Section: Thermal Conductancesupporting

confidence: 90%

Metabolism and thermoregulation in the Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatus

Wang¹,

Wang²,

Zuwang³

2000

Acta Theriol.

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“…It appears that very young animals in discomfort make this category of sound. Mongolian gerbil pups reach their full endothermic potential by about 21 days of age (McManus, 1971) and our first two tests were carried out before this age. Therefore, females, which have generally lower body weight than males, may have been undergoing the effects of falls in body temperature during testing as they were not allowed to huddle with their sibs or parents and thus reduce heatloss or gain heat, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogeny of sexually dimorphic ultrasonic vocalizations in mongolian gerbils

Holman¹,

Seale²

1991

Developmental Psychobiology

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Sexual differentiation of emission rates (Experiment 1) and physical structure of ultrasonic vocalizations (Experiment 2) were investigated in Mongolian gerbils between 17 and 85 days of age. Animals from different litters were allowed to interact in iso- and heterosexual pairs. Vocalization rates increased in all groups, reaching a plateau at approximately day 56. Female pups had significantly higher rates of all vocalizations than male pairs before the plateau stage. Five stereotypic categories of physical structure were easily distinguished and confirmed by sound spectrographic analysis. Only mid-range frequencies of vocalizations appeared to decline throughout the juveniles' lives: this change may communicate the animal's age. Two male and one female categories were sexually dimorphic and similar in structure to those made during courtship interactions. Rates of male-type vocalizations appear to increase as testicular androgens start rising.

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“…Tb of the young and mothers was measured by inserting a 36-ga, copper-constantan thermocouple rectally to a depth of approximately 3 mm. We found significant difficulty in employing the widely used method for determining Tb in neonatal rodents described by McManus (1971) because young wood rats are not easily curled around a midventral surface probe without injury. Unless this is accomplished the temperatures recorded are much lower than even the shallow rectal temperatures we measured.…”

Section: Development Of Homeothermymentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative Allocation of Energy to Growth and Development of Homeothermy in the Eastern Wood Rat (Neotoma floridana) and Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)

McClure¹,

Randolph²

1980

Ecological Monographs

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Allocation of energy to growth and heat production was measured by constructing energy budgets of male and female Sigmodon hispidus (x Adult body mass = ABM = 113 g ♂ 105 g ♀) and Neotoma floridana (ABM = 270 g ♂ 184 g ♀) from birth to maturity. Energy ingested and oxygen consumption per gram of body mass of post—weaning animals were not significantly different between sexes within species, but did differ significantly between the species. In all animals the relation between post—weaning ingestion (per gram body mass) and body mass follows a negative power function. Post—weaning metabolic rate as a function of body mass follows a different negative power function. The pattern of change in metabolic rate prior to weaning is different in the two species. In Sigmodon, metabolic rate increases linearly from birth to about 20 g (or about 20% of ABM). The rate at 20 g is about 5 cm3°g—1°h—1. In Neotoma metabolic rate remains constant at 1.7 cm3°g—1°h—1 from birth to about 26 g (or about 11% of ABM), then increases linearly to about 2.2 cm3°g—1°h—1 at 65 g (29% ABM). In both species, the peak in metabolic rate and nutritional weaning coincide with development of homeothermy, (measured as ability to maintain adult—level body temperatures at an ambient temperature of 20°C). Young Sigmodon become efficient homeotherms by 10—12 d of age whereas Neotoma require 19—22 d. Growth of each sex and species can be described by Gompertz equations. Growth rate constants, K, and asymptotic mass, A, differ between sexes within species and between species. Gompertz equations do not accurately describe growth of pre—weaning Neotoma which was linear from birth to 21—22 d of age. No such period of linearity is seen in Sigmodon growth. Analysis of litter—size dependence of growth of pre—weaning animals indicates that the early linear growth of Neotoma may not be a result of limited milk production, as it seems to be in Sigmodon. The relative total investment of energy in growth for a litter of Sigmodon (° = 4.8 young) between birth and 12 d of age was 416.7 kJ compared to 770.7 kJ for the first 24 d of life of the average Neotoma (x = 2.6 young). Over these same times, a litter of Sigmodon expended 1350.6 kJ on respiration compared with 1296.2 kJ in Neotoma. Thus the total metabolizable energy requirements of 1767.7 kJ and 2066.2 kJ are similar in the two species; however, a litter of Sigmodon requires about twice as much metabolizable energy per day each day they remain with their mother. Neotoma daily requirements are lower but protracted in time. During the pre—weaning period, Neotoma are investing proportionally more of their metabolizable energy in growth, whereas Sigmodon spend more on respiration, perhaps because they depend on their own heat production for thermoregulation while Neotoma rely on their mother's heat. These results are compared with data from the literature on growth and development of homothermy in a variety of small rodents. The hypothesis is advanced that, in general, larger species defer onset of active thermoregula...

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Early Postnatal Growth and the Development of Temperature Regulation in the Mongolian Gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus

Cited by 50 publications

References 10 publications

Metabolism and thermoregulation in the Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatus

Metabolism and thermoregulation in the Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatus

Ontogeny of sexually dimorphic ultrasonic vocalizations in mongolian gerbils

Relative Allocation of Energy to Growth and Development of Homeothermy in the Eastern Wood Rat (Neotoma floridana) and Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)

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