Influence of Ambient Temperature, Nest Availability, Huddling, and Daily Torpor on Energy Expenditure in the White-Footed Mouse Peromyscus Leucopus

Vogt, F. Daniel; Lynch, G. Robert

doi:10.1086/physzool.55.1.30158443

Cited by 111 publications

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“…Finally, the changes in body temperature during cold exposure may indicate that parasitized mice are more willing to enter brief torpor under cold conditions (Hill, 1983;Tannenbaum and Pivorun, 1988). This could be an adaptive plastic behavior employed by infected mice to avoid situations that require sustained high energy output (Hill, 1983;Vogt and Lynch, 1982).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Schistosome infection in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus):impacts on host physiology, behavior and energetics

Schwanz

2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Phenotypic plasticity is an important means through which animals respond to unpredictability and stressors in the environment (Fordyce, 2006;Schlichting and Pigliucci, 1998). Plasticity can occur at many levels, from physiology and morphology to behavior and life history (King and Murphy, 1985). Organ morphology, for example, can be highly flexible in many animals (Piersma and Lindström, 1997;Starck, 1999). The size of gastrointestinal (GI) tract organs changes with energetic and functional demands, increasing during lactation and cold exposure in rodents, decreasing in preparation for migration in birds, and changing over active and hibernation seasons in lizards (e.g. Hammond et al., 1994;Piersma and Lindström, 1997;Tracy and Diamond, 2005). Similarly, metabolic rates can change with season and ambient temperature (e.g. Hill, 1983).Parasites represent an important stressor for many animals, and their effects on host phenotypes can include direct pathologies and host plasticity. For example, parasitism can cause liver and intestinal damage, anemia and increased thermal conductance (Booth et al., 1993;Holmes and Zohar, 1990;Meagher, 1998;Schall et al., 1982;Tocque, 1993;Wiger, 1977). Parasitism can also lead to changes in the energetics and performance of animals, including reduced feeding and activity, impaired anti-predator and competitive behavior, and altered metabolic rates (Arneberg et al., 1996;Booth et al., 1993;Cunningham et al., 1994;Freeland, 1981;Poirier et al., 1995;Rau, 1983a;Rau, 1983b;Rau and Putter, 1984;Schall et al., 1982;Symons, 1985). Finally, parasitized animals may show shifts in organ size and body tissue composition (Kristan, 2002;Kristan and Hammond, 2000;Kristan and Hammond, 2001;Tocque, 1993). Although it is difficult to distinguish between direct parasite impact and host compensation, host alterations in some systems appear to represent phenotypic plasticity to minimize the fitness costs of infection (e.g. Booth et al., 1993;Kristan and Hammond, 2001;Podesta and Mettrick, 1976). Indeed, parasitism can have strong, negative impacts on host fitness through decreases in survival and reproduction (e.g. Crews and Yoshino, 1989;Fuller and Blaustein, 1996;Goater and Ward, 1992;Neuhaus, 2003;Zuk, 1987). The host-parasite relationship, therefore, provides an interesting and ecologically important stage on which to examine phenotypic plasticity and fitness consequences of stressors. Additionally, understanding the phenotypic response of individual hosts is imperative for understanding populationlevel effects and coevolution between hosts and parasites Animals routinely encounter environmental stressors and may employ phenotypic plasticity to compensate for the costs of these perturbations. Parasites represent an ecologically important stressor for animals, which may induce host plasticity. The present study examined the effects of a trematode parasite, Schistosomatium douthitti, on deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) physiology, behavior and energetics. Measures were taken to assess direct pa...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Schistosome infection in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus):impacts on host physiology, behavior and energetics

Schwanz

2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Unlike ectotherms, however, body temperature in mammals must be maintained to some extent in cold weather when food supplies may be scarce (McFarland et al, 1979). Torpor in mammals is thought to increase chances of survival during periods of severe weather including low temperatures by providing energy savings (Howard, 1951;Vogt and Lynch, 1982). Torpor is thought to be induced by short days, food restrictions, and temperature changes (Hill, 1975;Lynch et al, 1978;Tannenbaum and Pivorun, 1988).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The behavioral physiology of labroid fishes

Curran¹

1992

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“…Using Wunder's (1975) model for estimating metabolic rate (MR), it was determined that hypothermia in the aardwolf during winter translates to a c. 18% energy saving (Anderson, 1994). The estimated reduction in metabolism is at the lower end of the 18-31% saving observed in most small mammalian species that exhibit daily hypothermia (Vogt & Lynch, 1982;Wang & Wolowyk, 1988). This suggests that the aardwolf does not fully exploit the energetic advantages of hypothermia.…”

Section: Body Temperaturementioning

confidence: 98%

Aardwolf adaptations: a review

Anderson¹

2004

Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa

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The aardwolf Proteles cristatus has developed a number of anatomical and morphological adaptations for feeding on its termite prey. These adaptations preclude the aardwolf from feeding on other, larger (vertebrate) prey, especially during the winter months, when the T a drops below 9 º C and when Trinervitermes termites are largely unavailable. Winter is therefore a stressful period for aardwolves, as evidenced by increased juvenile mortality, a 20% decline in body mass and depletion of subcutaneous fat reserves. The aardwolf uses both physiological and behavioural means to overcome this period of food stress. An increased period is spent underground in the thermally-stable environment of the den. Den sharing is more common in the winter months and social thermoregulation may result in energy savings. While inactive the aardwolf lowers its T b (to an average of 34.1+1.6 º C during the middle of the inactive period during winter) and in some individuals this results in energy savings of up to 18%. Seasonal changes in pelage density and thermal conductance allow for more passive heat transfer during summer and improved heat retention during winter. Laboratory and field measurements of metabolic rate showed that the aardwolf has a low BMR and a low FMR (between 40 and 78% of that predicted by allometric equations). The aardwolf's metabolic rate is 11% lower during the winter months, resulting in reduced energy requirements during the period of limited food availability. Evaporative water loss rates are low, further reduced during the winter months, adaptations to survive in a desert environment and on a seasonally-unavailable food source. The aardwolf is therefore well adapted to feed on a diet of Trinervitermes termites, a food niche that has been largely unexploited by other animals, and it uses various ecological, behavioural and physiological adaptations to cope with this seasonally unavailable food source.

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Influence of Ambient Temperature, Nest Availability, Huddling, and Daily Torpor on Energy Expenditure in the White-Footed Mouse Peromyscus Leucopus

Cited by 111 publications

References 0 publications

Schistosome infection in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus):impacts on host physiology, behavior and energetics

Schistosome infection in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus):impacts on host physiology, behavior and energetics

The behavioral physiology of labroid fishes

Aardwolf adaptations: a review

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