Thermoregulation and energy metabolism in the lesser bushbaby,<i>Galago senegalensis moholi</i>

Knox, C.M.; Wright, Peter

doi:10.1080/02541858.1989.11448138

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Physiological responses to thermoregulatory challenges during resting, such as varying body temperature and metabolic rate, have also been documented in lemurs, lorises, and galagos [Chevillard, 1976;Müller, 1983;Müller et al, 1985;Knox & Wright, 1989;Schmid & Ganzhorn, 1996]. Thus, possible thermoregulatory benefits of shelter use among prosimians can be both amplified and partly replaced by behavioral and physiological mechanisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Nests, tree holes, and the evolution of primate life histories

Kappeler

1998

American J Primatol

169

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In contrast to the majority of primates, many prosimians, some New World monkeys, and the great apes rest in tree holes or self‐constructed nests during their inactive periods. The goal of this comparative study was to examine possible functions of this interspecific variation. Information on resting behavior, maternal behavior, and basic life‐history traits was gleaned from the literature and mapped onto a phylogenetic tree of primates for various comparative tests. Parsimony‐based reconstructions revealed that only the use of nests or tree holes as shelters for young infants can be unequivocally reconstructed for various higher taxa, suggesting that it is functionally different from the use of shelters by adults (who may be accompanied by infants). Further reconstructions revealed that the ancestral primate was most likely nocturnal and solitary and produced a single infant that was initially left in a shelter and later carried orally to a parking place in the vegetation—a combination of traits exhibited by many living galagos. Evolutionary losses of the use of nests were concentrated among diurnal and nonsolitary taxa and weakly associated with evolutionary increases in body size. Thus, protective functions of nests or tree holes used by prosimians are either secondary or there are alternative ways of obtaining protection. Because the evolution of larger litters was significantly associated with the presence of shelters, the presence of relatively altricial young among prosimians best explains the use of nests and tree holes, which are in most but not all cases also used by adults. These shelters therefore play an integral part in the life‐history strategies of primitive primates and their ancestors and evolved secondarily among anthropoids for other purposes. Am. J. Primatol. 46:7–33, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Nests, tree holes, and the evolution of primate life histories

Kappeler

1998

American J Primatol

169

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We did not record any incidence of torpor in any of the 11 animals observed during different seasons in the yearly cycle (February 2002to September 2003. Previous accounts of T b patterns in G. moholi have been described under laboratory conditions, where lesser bushbabies maintained stable T b throughout a range of T a from 6 to 35 ° C [Knox and Wright, 1989].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Knox and Wright [1989] suggested that the ability of G. moholi to maintain stable T b at low T a could be a result of postural adjustments and thus thermal conductance adjustment. Although male bushbabies usually sleep alone, females and juveniles often sleep in groups during the rest phase [Skinner and Smithers, 1990].…”

Section: Foliamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Lack of Torpor in Free-Ranging Southern Lesser Galagos, Galago moholi: Ecological and Physiological Considerations

Mzilikazi¹,

Masters²,

Lovegrove³

2006

IJFP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Studies investigating heterothermy under natural conditions are particularly scarce for tropical species. However, heterothermy patterns in tropical and subtropical environments often differ markedly from those observed in arctic and temperate species. The investigation of heterothermy in strepsirhine primates has focussed largely on the Malagasy cheirogaleids. In addition, a physiological verification of torpor occurrence in mainland strepsirhines is important with regard to arguments pertaining to the colonization of Madagascar by strepsirhine primates. We measured body temperatures of 11 free-ranging Galago moholi, between February 2002 and September 2003, for 3 consecutive months for each animal. No incidents of heterothermy were recorded throughout the study period. We considered how physiological and ecological aspects of G. moholi biology might have obviated the use of torpor. It was suggested that the breeding pattern observed in G. moholi prevented torpor use whilst increasing fecundity, and that the ecological costs of torpor far outweighed the energetic costs. This study highlights the need for more studies on free-ranging animals to elucidate the physiological, ecological and phylogenetic constraints and determinants of torpor use. Furthermore, if convincing arguments are to be made regarding the possible role of heterothermy in species dispersal, more data from free-ranging animals are needed.

show abstract

“…Without drinking water, Papio hamadryas cannot successfully use physiological cooling to cope with heat stress; thus, they seem to increase the priority of behavioral thermoregulation, such as the avoidance of sun exposure (Mitchell et al 2009). Strepsirrhines with low capacities for evaporative cooling (Müller 1979;Knox and Wright 1989) have been found to reduce metabolic rates (E. fulvus: Daniels 1984; Microcebus murinus: Aujard et al 1998) and decrease activity (E. fulvus: Erkert and Cramer 2006) under experimentally induced hot conditions. Such reactions are considered adaptive strategies for minimizing water loss by limiting excessive evaporative respiration (Aujard et al 1998).…”

Section: Diurnal Resting Under Hot Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal resting in brown lemurs in a dry deciduous forest, northwestern Madagascar: implications for seasonal thermoregulation

Sato

2012

Primates

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Decreased activity has been reported in both nocturnal and diurnal primates during the prolonged dry season in western Madagascar, and this has been interpreted as a reaction to the severe environment, with its food scarcity and/or thermal stress. Several day-active lemurs rest more as trees defoliate, although the reason for this is unclear. To understand the mechanism underpinning the diurnal resting of lemurs in seasonal deciduous forests, I observed common brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus fulvus) for one year in Ankarafantsika National Park, northwestern Madagascar. In Ankarafantsika, despite high fruit availability during the dry season, brown lemurs are known to engage in diurnal resting. To examine the effects of thermal factors and defoliation on lemur inactivity, I recorded the activity of a troop at 1 min intervals, hourly ambient temperature, daily rainfall, and weather during observations (06:00-18:00). I quantified the amount of leaves biweekly for 680 trees. I tested correlations between percentages of resting time and each factor across hours during the day and across seasons. During the rainy season, resting time did not differ between sunny and cloudy days, and lemurs were active throughout the daytime. At the hourly level during the dry season, lemurs rested exclusively at midday, apparently at peak sunlight intensity rather than at peak ambient temperature. At seasonal level, percentages of total resting time from 08:00 to 16:00 were greater during dry season (81.9%) than during rainy season (62.6%), and percentages increased as ambient temperatures increased. Defoliation was related to seasonal decrease in weekly rainfall, which served as an index of water retained in the forest. Defoliation probably reflected aridification as well as the penetration of sunlight into the forest. Diurnal resting increased as both the amount of leaves and weekly rainfall decreased seasonally. These results suggest that heat stress under dry conditions may promote resting. Diurnal resting may function as behavioral thermoregulation to avoid overheating and to minimize water loss via excessive evaporative respiration.

show abstract

Thermoregulation and energy metabolism in the lesser bushbaby,Galago senegalensis moholi

Cited by 17 publications

References 9 publications

Nests, tree holes, and the evolution of primate life histories

Nests, tree holes, and the evolution of primate life histories

Lack of Torpor in Free-Ranging Southern Lesser Galagos, Galago moholi: Ecological and Physiological Considerations

Diurnal resting in brown lemurs in a dry deciduous forest, northwestern Madagascar: implications for seasonal thermoregulation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About