Intraspecific variation in the energetics of the Cabrera vole

Castellanos-Frías, Elena; García-Perea, Rosa; Gisbert, Julio; Bozinovic, Francisco; Virgós, Emílio

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2015.08.011

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Assessments of the current status and threats to Cabrera vole populations have found that Mediterranean summers, with their high temperatures and low or no rainfalls, impose high restrictive conditions which act as a bottleneck, reducing population densities of this small mammal 30 , 32 , 35 , 36 . Such climatic conditions of the current and Last Interglacial Period could be close to the species’ physiological limits 32 , 37 . These conditions could have relegated the species’ niche to specific habitats which could ensure the necessary environmental requirements that could not be satisfied by climate ( e.g .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agriculture combined with urban infrastructures have been identified as the main causes of the current population decline 17 , 30 , 31 . Nevertheless, the effect of climate on the niche of the Cabrera vole’ seems to play an important role 32 . The species only inhabits in perennial grasses of Agrostis castellana and/or Stipa gigantea and rush beds in open areas with a high water table 30 , 31 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of the effect of climate changes in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene on niche conservatism of an arvicolid specialist

Castellanos-Frías

Garcı́a

Virgós

2018

Sci Rep

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Climate change is not only evident, but its implications on biodiversity are already patent. The scientific community has delved into the limitations and capabilities of species to face changes in climatic conditions through experimental studies and, primarily, Species Distribution Models (SDMs). Nevertheless, the widespread use of SDMs comes with some intrinsic assumptions, such as niche conservatism, which are not always true. Alternatively, the fossil record can provide additional data to solve the uncertainties of species’ responses to climate change based on their history. Using a combined environmental (niche overlap indices) and geographical approach (temporal transferability of SDMs), we assessed the niche conservatism of Microtus cabrerae throughout its evolutionary history: the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. The set of analyses performed within this timeframe provides a broad view pointing to a shift in the realized climatic niche of the species. Specifically, M. cabrerae exhibited a broader niche during glacial times than interglacial times, expanding towards novel conditions. Hence, the species might have developed an adaptive ability, as a consequence of mechanisms of local adaptation or natural pressures, or just be preadapted to cope with the novel environment, due to expansion into an unfilled portion of the niche. Nevertheless, the more restricted realized niche during last interglacial times reveals that the species could be close to its physiological limits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the effect of climate changes in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene on niche conservatism of an arvicolid specialist

Castellanos-Frías

Garcı́a

Virgós

2018

Sci Rep

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“…The thermoneutral zone (TNZ) corresponds to the range of ambient temperatures where metabolism is minimum and independent of T a . This value corresponds to resting metabolic rate (RMR) as animals were not fasted (Castellanos-Frías et al, 2015). Though less restrictive than basal metabolic rate, RMR is justified in small rodents as fasting can result in hyperactivity and a lowering of body temperature (Speakman et al, 2004).…”

Section: Animal Capture and Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…metabolism-T a curve under cool conditions(Castellanos-Frías et al, 2015). The values obtained for RMR and C were compared with the predicted standards for body mass (M b ) following the classical equations ofKleiber (1961): BMR = 3.42 × M b…”

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confidence: 99%

Phenotypic plasticity in the energy metabolism of a small Andean rodent: Effect of short‐term thermal acclimation and developmental conditions

et al. 2021

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The study of phenotypic variation within species in response to different environments is a central issue in evolutionary and ecological physiology. Particularly, ambient temperature is one of the most important factors modulating interactions between animals and their environment. Phyllotis xanthopygus, a small Andean rodent, exhibits intraspecific differences along an altitudinal gradient in traits relevant to energy balance that persist after acclimation to common experimental temperatures. Therefore, we aim to explore geographic variations in energetic traits of P. xanthopygus and to assess the contribution of phenotypic plasticity to population differences. We compared metabolic rate and thermal conductance in response to different acclimation temperatures in animals collected at distinct altitudes (F0 generation) and in their offspring, born and raised under common-garden conditions (F1 generation). We found intraspecific differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) of animals collected at different altitudes that were no longer evident in the F1 generation. Furthermore, although both generations showed the same pattern of RMR flexibility in response to acclimation temperature, its magnitude was lower for the F1 individuals. This suggests that developmental conditions affect the short-term acclimation capacity of this trait during adulthood. On the other hand, thermal conductance (C) showed irreversible plasticity, as animals raised in the laboratory at stable warm conditions had a relatively higher C than the animals from the field, showing no adjustments to thermal acclimation during adulthood in either group. In sum, our results support the hypothesis that the developmental environment shapes energetic traits, emphasizing the relevance of incorporating ontogeny in physiological studies.

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“…Energy metabolism has been extensively studied as a method to approach physiological adaptations to environmental variations (Mueller and Diamond 2001;Lovegrove 2003;Rezende et al 2004;Bozinovic et al 2007), as it represents the summed result of all functions simultaneously occurring in the whole animal, is ecologically relevant to define food requirements (Speakman 2000) and potential for heat stress (Speakman and Król 2010). The resting metabolic rate (RMR) represents a large portion of an animals' energetic requirement comprising 20 to 60% of the daily energetic demands (Ricklefs et al 1996;Hammond and Diamond 1997;Speakman 2000;Westerterp and Speakman 2008), therefore can be highly informative about the adaptive strategies of different species (Morgan and Price 1992;Bennett et al 1994) and populations (Bozinovic et al 2007;Castellanos-Frías et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energetics and thermal adaptation in semifossorial pine-voles Microtus lusitanicus and Microtus duodecimcostatus

2019

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Rodents colonizing subterranean environments have developed several morphological, physiological and behaviour traits that promote the success of individuals in such demanding conditions.Resting metabolic rate, thermoregulation capacity and daily energy expenditure were analysed in two fossorial pine-vole species Microtus lusitanicus and M.duodecimcostatus inhabiting distinct areas of the Iberian Peninsula. Individuals were captured in locations with different habitat and soil features, allowing the comparison of energetic parameters with ecological characteristics, that can help explain the use of the subterranean environment and dependence of the burrow system. Results showed that M. duodecimcostatus has lower mass independent resting metabolic rate when compared with M. lusitanicus, which may be a response to environmental features of their habitat, such as dryer soils and lower water availability. Thermal conductance increased with body mass and was dependent on the ambient temperature. No significant differences were observed in the DEE, but water economy data demonstrated the influence of the water available on the habitat on the energetics of voles. These may rely on behavioural adaptations and seasonal use of burrows to cope which thermal challenges of subterranean activity and soil constraints. We found strong evidence that M.lusitanicus is able to use torpor as response to low ambient temperatures which is a new observation among Arvicolines.

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Intraspecific variation in the energetics of the Cabrera vole

Cited by 6 publications

References 48 publications

Assessment of the effect of climate changes in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene on niche conservatism of an arvicolid specialist

Assessment of the effect of climate changes in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene on niche conservatism of an arvicolid specialist

Phenotypic plasticity in the energy metabolism of a small Andean rodent: Effect of short‐term thermal acclimation and developmental conditions

Energetics and thermal adaptation in semifossorial pine-voles Microtus lusitanicus and Microtus duodecimcostatus

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