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Hending D, Randrianarison H, Andriamavosoloarisoa NNM, Ranohatra-Hending C, Solofondranohatra JS, Tongasoa HR, Ranarison HT, Gehrke V, Andrianirina N, Holderied M, McCabe G, Cotton S. Seasonal Differences in the Encounter Rate of the Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) in the Transitional Forests of Northwest Madagascar: Implications for Reliable Population Density Assessment. INT J PRIMATOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-023-00353-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Primate encounter rates often vary throughout the year due to seasonal differences in activity, ecology, and behaviour. One notably extreme behaviour is continuous hibernation. Although a rare adaptation in primates, the dwarf lemurs of Madagascar (genus Cheirogaleus) enter obligate hibernation each year during the dry season, after spending the wet season consuming high-energy foods. Whilst seasonal changes in activity in some Cheirogaleus populations are well-known, many species remain little-studied, and there is no specific information on their encounter rates, nor when they enter and emerge from hibernation. This uncertainty critically affects reliable calculation of population density estimates for these highly threatened lemurs. In this study, we assessed how encounter rates of the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (C. medius) vary seasonally in the transitional forests of the Sahamalaza-Iles Radama National Park, northwest Madagascar, during a 4-year period. We established a system of line transects (N = 60) throughout our study area, on which we conducted distance sampling of C. medius. We then used our distance sampling data to calculate encounter rate and population density data. We found encounter rates of C. medius to be significantly higher during the wet season compared with the dry season. Furthermore, encounter rates of C. medius were particularly low from May–August. These results provide some evidence to suggest the time period that C. medius hibernate in Sahamalaza-Iles Radama National Park. These findings underpin the importance of careful study design when surveying threatened species with seasonal differences in activity, such as those that hibernate. This study also demonstrates the importance of species-specific behavioural data for accurate population density assessment, which is required to inform conservation action.
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Niu Y, Guan L, Wang C, Jiang H, Li G, Yang L. Aestivation induces widespread transcriptional changes in the African lungfish. Front Genet 2023; 14:1096929. [PMID: 36733343 PMCID: PMC9886888 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1096929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Aestivation is a special ability possessed by some animals to cope with hot and dry environments utilizing dormancy. At a macroscopic level, dormant animals stop moving and eating. At the microscopic level, the expression of a large number of genes in these animals is strictly controlled. However, little is known about what changes occur during aestivation, especially in fish. In this study, we used transcriptome analysis to examine what changes occur in the gills and lungs of the African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) during the maintenance phase of aestivation and speculated on their causes. We found that aestivating transcriptomes were highly similar between gills and lungs. We also found that some genes showed differential expression or alternative splicing, which may be associated with different organs. In addition, differential expression analysis revealed that the lungs maintained significantly higher bioactivity during aestivation, which suggests that the main respiratory organ in aestivating lungfish can transform. Our study provides a reference point for studying the relationship between aestivation and hibernation and further increases understanding of aestivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Niu
- College of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai, China,State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Lihong Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,College of Life Sciences and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Haifeng Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Guogang Li
- College of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai, China,Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China,Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China,*Correspondence: Guogang Li, ; Liandong Yang,
| | - Liandong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China,*Correspondence: Guogang Li, ; Liandong Yang,
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3
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Greene LK, Andriambeloson JB, Rasoanaivo HA, Yoder AD, Blanco MB. Variation in gut microbiome structure across the annual hibernation cycle in a wild primate. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6604834. [PMID: 35679092 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome can mediate host metabolism, including facilitating energy-saving strategies like hibernation. The dwarf lemurs of Madagascar (Cheirogaleus spp.) are the only obligate hibernators among primates. They also hibernate in the subtropics, and unlike temperate hibernators, fatten by converting fruit sugars to lipid deposits, torpor at relatively warm temperatures, and forage for a generalized diet after emergence. Despite these ecological differences, we might expect hibernation to shape the gut microbiome in similar ways across mammals. We, therefore, compare gut microbiome profiles, determined by amplicon sequencing of rectal swabs, in wild furry-eared dwarf lemurs (C. crossleyi) during fattening, hibernation, and after emergence. The dwarf lemurs exhibited reduced gut microbial diversity during fattening, intermediate diversity and increased community homogenization during hibernation, and greatest diversity after emergence. The Mycoplasma genus was enriched during fattening, whereas the Aerococcaceae and Actinomycetaceae families, and not Akkermansia, bloomed during hibernation. As expected, the dwarf lemurs showed seasonal reconfigurations of the gut microbiome; however, the patterns of microbial diversity diverged from temperate hibernators, and better resembled the shifts associated with dietary fruits and sugars in primates and model organisms. Our results thus highlight the potential for dwarf lemurs to probe microbiome-mediated metabolism in primates under contrasting conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia K Greene
- The Duke Lemur Center, 3705 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705, United States.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Jean-Basile Andriambeloson
- Department of Zoology and Animal Biodiversity, Faculty of Science, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Hoby A Rasoanaivo
- Department of Science and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Anne D Yoder
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Marina B Blanco
- The Duke Lemur Center, 3705 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705, United States.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
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4
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Activity Patterns, Diet and Home Range of Night Monkeys (Aotus griseimembra and Aotus lemurinus) in Tropical Lowland and Mountain Forests of Central Colombia. INT J PRIMATOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-020-00192-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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5
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Nowack J, Levesque DL, Reher S, Dausmann KH. Variable Climates Lead to Varying Phenotypes: “Weird” Mammalian Torpor and Lessons From Non-Holarctic Species. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
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6
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Mandl I, Holderied M, Schwitzer C. The Effects of Climate Seasonality on Behavior and Sleeping Site Choice in Sahamalaza Sportive Lemurs, Lepilemur sahamalaza. INT J PRIMATOL 2018; 39:1039-1067. [PMID: 30613116 PMCID: PMC6300582 DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0059-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Temperature, rainfall, and resource availability may vary greatly within a single year in primate habitats. Many primate species show behavioral and physiological adaptations to this environmental seasonality, including changes to their diets and activity. Sahamalaza sportive lemurs (Lepilemur sahamalaza) inhabit the northwest of Madagascar and have been studied only during the dry, colder period of the year. We investigated potential effects of climate seasonality on this species by collecting behavioral data between October 2015 and August 2016, encompassing both the warmer wet and the colder dry seasons. We collected 773.15 hours of behavioral data on 14 individual sportive lemurs to investigate year-round activity budgets, ranging behavior, and sleeping site locations. Additionally we recorded temperature and rainfall data at our study site to describe the environmental conditions during the study period. The study individuals significantly decreased their time spent traveling and increased their time spent resting in the dry season compared to the wet season. Although home range size and path lengths did not differ over the study period, sleeping locations were significantly different between seasons as the lemurs focused on more confined areas in colder periods. Overall, the results indicate that Sahamalaza sportive lemur behavior varies with season, in line with reports for other primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Mandl
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Marc Holderied
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Christoph Schwitzer
- Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HA UK
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7
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Blanco MB, Dausmann KH, Faherty SL, Yoder AD. Tropical heterothermy is “cool”: The expression of daily torpor and hibernation in primates. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:147-161. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anne D. Yoder
- Duke Lemur Center; Durham North Carolina
- Department of Biology; Duke University; Durham North Carolina
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8
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Faherty SL, Villanueva‐Cañas JL, Blanco MB, Albà MM, Yoder AD. Transcriptomics in the wild: Hibernation physiology in free‐ranging dwarf lemurs. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:709-722. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - José Luis Villanueva‐Cañas
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC‐Universitat Pompeu Fabra) Barcelona Spain
- Evolutionary Genomics Group Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB) Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM) Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Barcelona Spain
| | | | - M. Mar Albà
- Evolutionary Genomics Group Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB) Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM) Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Barcelona Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) Barcelona Spain
| | - Anne D. Yoder
- Department of Biology Duke University Durham NC USA
- Duke Lemur Center Durham NC USA
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9
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Welman S, Tuen AA, Lovegrove BG. Searching for the Haplorrhine Heterotherm: Field and Laboratory Data of Free-Ranging Tarsiers. Front Physiol 2017; 8:745. [PMID: 29018365 PMCID: PMC5623056 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The observation of heterothermy in a single suborder (Strepsirrhini) only within the primates is puzzling. Given that the placental-mammal ancestor was likely a heterotherm, we explored the potential for heterothermy in a primate closely related to the Strepsirrhini. Based upon phylogeny, body size and habitat stability since the Late Eocene, we selected western tarsiers (Cephalopachus bancanus) from the island of Borneo. Being the sister clade to Strepsirrhini and basal in Haplorrhini (monkeys and apes), we hypothesized that C. bancanus might have retained the heterothermic capacity observed in several small strepsirrhines. We measured resting metabolic rate, subcutaneous temperature, evaporative water loss and the percentage of heat dissipated through evaporation, at ambient temperatures between 22 and 35°C in fresh-caught wild animals (126.1 ± 2.4 g). We also measured core body temperatures in free-ranging animals. The thermoneutral zone was 25-30°C and the basal metabolic rate was 3.52 ± 0.06 W.kg-1 (0.65 ± 0.01 ml O2.g-1.h-1). There was no evidence of adaptive heterothermy in either the laboratory data or the free-ranging data. Instead, animals appeared to be cold sensitive (Tb ~ 31°C) at the lowest temperatures. We discuss possible reasons for the apparent lack of heterothermy in tarsiers, and identify putative heterotherms within Platyrrhini. We also document our concern for the vulnerability of C. bancanus to future temperature increases associated with global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun Welman
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Andrew A. Tuen
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
| | - Barry G. Lovegrove
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
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10
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Dausmann KH, Warnecke L. Primate Torpor Expression: Ghost of the Climatic Past. Physiology (Bethesda) 2016; 31:398-408. [DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00050.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Torpor, the controlled depression of virtually all bodily function during scarce periods, was verified in primates under free-ranging conditions less than two decades ago. The large variety of different torpor patterns found both within and among closely related species is particularly remarkable. To help unravel the cause of these variable patterns, our review investigates primate torpor use within an evolutionary framework. First, we provide an overview of heterothermic primate species, focusing on the Malagasy lemurs, and discuss their use of daily torpor or hibernation in relation to habitat type and climatic conditions. Second, we investigate environmental characteristics that may have been involved in shaping the high variability of torpor expression found in lemurs today. Third, we examine potential triggers for torpor use in lemurs. We propose the “torpor refugia hypothesis” to illustrate how disparate primate torpor patterns possibly evolved in response to environmental cues during glacial periods, when animals were restricted to different refuge habitats along riverine corridors. For example, individuals enduring harsher conditions at higher altitudes likely developed seasonal hibernation, whereas those inhabiting lower elevation river catchments might have coped with unfavorable conditions by employing daily torpor. The ultimate stimuli triggering torpor use today likely differ between the different habitats of Madagascar. The broad diversity of torpor patterns in lemurs among closely related species, both within the same and in distinctly different habitat types, provides an ideal base for research into the stimuli for torpor use in endotherms in general. Our hypothesis highlights the importance of considering the environmental conditions under which ecosystems and species evolved when trying to explain physiological adaptations seen today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin H. Dausmann
- Zoological Institute, Functional Ecology, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Warnecke
- Zoological Institute, Functional Ecology, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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11
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Ruf T, Geiser F. Daily torpor and hibernation in birds and mammals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 90:891-926. [PMID: 25123049 PMCID: PMC4351926 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 484] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2013] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Many birds and mammals drastically reduce their energy expenditure during times of cold exposure, food shortage, or drought, by temporarily abandoning euthermia, i.e. the maintenance of high body temperatures. Traditionally, two different types of heterothermy, i.e. hypometabolic states associated with low body temperature (torpor), have been distinguished: daily torpor, which lasts less than 24 h and is accompanied by continued foraging, versus hibernation, with torpor bouts lasting consecutive days to several weeks in animals that usually do not forage but rely on energy stores, either food caches or body energy reserves. This classification of torpor types has been challenged, suggesting that these phenotypes may merely represent extremes in a continuum of traits. Here, we investigate whether variables of torpor in 214 species (43 birds and 171 mammals) form a continuum or a bimodal distribution. We use Gaussian-mixture cluster analysis as well as phylogenetically informed regressions to quantitatively assess the distinction between hibernation and daily torpor and to evaluate the impact of body mass and geographical distribution of species on torpor traits. Cluster analysis clearly confirmed the classical distinction between daily torpor and hibernation. Overall, heterothermic endotherms tend to be small; hibernators are significantly heavier than daily heterotherms and also are distributed at higher average latitudes (∼35°) than daily heterotherms (∼25°). Variables of torpor for an average 30 g heterotherm differed significantly between daily heterotherms and hibernators. Average maximum torpor bout duration was >30-fold longer, and mean torpor bout duration >25-fold longer in hibernators. Mean minimum body temperature differed by ∼13°C, and the mean minimum torpor metabolic rate was ∼35% of the basal metabolic rate (BMR) in daily heterotherms but only 6% of BMR in hibernators. Consequently, our analysis strongly supports the view that hibernators and daily heterotherms are functionally distinct groups that probably have been subject to disruptive selection. Arguably, the primary physiological difference between daily torpor and hibernation, which leads to a variety of derived further distinct characteristics, is the temporal control of entry into and arousal from torpor, which is governed by the circadian clock in daily heterotherms, but apparently not in hibernators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Ruf
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Fritz Geiser
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
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12
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Storey KB. The Gray Mouse Lemur: A Model for Studies of Primate Metabolic Rate Depression. Preface. GENOMICS PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2015; 13:77-80. [PMID: 26102318 PMCID: PMC4511782 DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2015.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth B Storey
- Institute of Biochemistry and Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada.
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13
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Nowack
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation; Biocentre Grindel; University of Hamburg; Martin-Luther-King Platz 3 20146 Hamburg Germany
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology; University of New England; Armidale NSW 2351 Australia
| | - Kathrin H. Dausmann
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation; Biocentre Grindel; University of Hamburg; Martin-Luther-King Platz 3 20146 Hamburg Germany
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14
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin H. Dausmann
- Animal Ecology & Conservation Biocenter Grindel University Hamburg Hamburg Germany
| | - Julian Glos
- Animal Ecology & Conservation Biocenter Grindel University Hamburg Hamburg Germany
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15
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Ways to measure body temperature in the field. J Therm Biol 2014; 42:46-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2014.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Revised: 03/18/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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16
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Thompson CL, Williams SH, Glander KE, Teaford MF, Vinyard CJ. Body temperature and thermal environment in a generalized arboreal anthropoid, wild mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 154:1-10. [PMID: 24610247 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Free-ranging primates are confronted with the challenge of maintaining an optimal range of body temperatures within a thermally dynamic environment that changes daily, seasonally, and annually. While many laboratory studies have been conducted on primate thermoregulation, we know comparatively little about the thermal pressures primates face in their natural, evolutionarily relevant environment. Such knowledge is critical to understanding the evolution of thermal adaptations in primates and for comparative evaluation of humans' unique thermal adaptations. We examined temperature and thermal environment in free-ranging, mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in a tropical dry forest in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. We recorded subcutaneous (Tsc ) and near-animal ambient temperatures (Ta ) from 11 animals over 1586.5 sample hours during wet and dry seasons. Howlers displayed considerable variation in Tsc , which was largely attributable to circadian effects. Despite significant seasonal changes in the ambient thermal environment, howlers showed relatively little evidence for seasonal changes in Tsc . Howlers experienced warm thermal conditions which led to body cooling relative to the environment, and plateaus in Tsc at increasingly warm Ta . They also frequently faced cool thermal conditions (Ta < Tsc ) in which Tsc was markedly elevated compared with Ta . These data add to a growing body of evidence that non-human primates have more labile body temperatures than humans. Our data additionally support a hypothesis that, despite inhabiting a dry tropical environment, howling monkeys experience both warm and cool thermal pressures. This suggests that thermal challenges may be more prevalent for primates than previously thought, even for species living in nonextreme thermal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia L Thompson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
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17
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Blanco MB, Dausmann KH, Ranaivoarisoa JF, Yoder AD. Underground hibernation in a primate. Sci Rep 2014; 3:1768. [PMID: 23636180 PMCID: PMC3641607 DOI: 10.1038/srep01768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2012] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Hibernation in mammals is a remarkable state of heterothermy wherein metabolic rates are reduced, core body temperatures reach ambient levels, and key physiological functions are suspended. Typically, hibernation is observed in cold-adapted mammals, though it has also been documented in tropical species and even primates, such as the dwarf lemurs of Madagascar. Western fat-tailed dwarf lemurs are known to hibernate for seven months per year inside tree holes. Here, we report for the first time the observation that eastern dwarf lemurs also hibernate, though in self-made underground hibernacula. Hence, we show evidence that a clawless primate is able to bury itself below ground. Our findings that dwarf lemurs can hibernate underground in tropical forests draw unforeseen parallels to mammalian temperate hibernation. We expect that this work will illuminate fundamental information about the influence of temperature, resource limitation and use of insulated hibernacula on the evolution of hibernation.
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18
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Affiliation(s)
- K. H. Dausmann
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, Biocentre Grindel; University of Hamburg; Hamburg Germany
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19
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Irwin MT, Raharison JL, Raubenheimer D, Chapman CA, Rothman JM. Nutritional correlates of the “lean season”: Effects of seasonality and frugivory on the nutritional ecology of diademed sifakas. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 153:78-91. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell T. Irwin
- Department of Anthropology; Northern Illinois University; DeKalb IL 60115
| | - Jean-Luc Raharison
- Department of Animal Biology; University of Antananarivo; BP 906 101 Antananarivo Madagascar
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre Faculty of Veterinary Science and School of Biological Sciences; The University of Sydney; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Colin A. Chapman
- Department of Anthropology and McGill School of Environment; McGill University; Montreal QC Canada
- Wildlife Conservation Society; 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx NY
| | - Jessica M. Rothman
- Department of Anthropology Hunter College; City University of New York; New York NY
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; New York NY
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20
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Lovegrove BG, Canale C, Levesque D, Fluch G, Reháková-Petrů M, Ruf T. Are tropical small mammals physiologically vulnerable to Arrhenius effects and climate change? Physiol Biochem Zool 2013; 87:30-45. [PMID: 24457919 DOI: 10.1086/673313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
There is some urgency in the necessity to incorporate physiological data into mechanistic, trait-based, demographic climate change models. Physiological responses at the individual level provide the mechanistic link between environmental changes and individual performances and hence population dynamics. Here we consider the causal relationship between ambient temperature (Ta) and metabolic rate (MR), namely, the Arrhenius effect, which is directly affected by global warming through increases in average global air temperatures and the increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events. We measured and collated data for several small, free-ranging tropical arboreal mammals and evaluated their vulnerability to Arrhenius effects and putative heat stress associated with climate change. Skin temperatures (Tskin) were obtained from free-ranging tarsiers (Tarsius syrichta) on Bohol Island, Philippines. Core body temperature (Tb) was obtained from the greater hedgehog tenrec (Setifer setosus) and the gray brown mouse lemur (Microcebus ravelobensis) from Ankarafantsika, Madagascar. Tskin for another mouse lemur, Microcebus griseorufus, was obtained from the literature. All four species showed evidence of hyperthermia during the daytime rest phase in the form of either Tskin or Tb that was higher than the normothermic Tb during the nighttime active phase. Potentially, tropical arboreal mammals with the lowest MRs and Tb, such as tarsiers, are the most vulnerable to sustained heat stress because their Tb is already close to Ta. Climate change may involve increases in MRs due to Arrhenius effects, especially during the rest phase or during torpor and hibernation. The most likely outcome of increased Arrhenius effects with climate change will be an increase in energy expenditure at the expense of other critical functions such as reproduction or growth and will thus affect fitness. However, we propose that these hypothetical Arrhenius costs can be, and in some species probably are, offset by the use of hyperthermic daily torpor, that is, hypometabolism at high Ta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry G Lovegrove
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa; 2Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna 1160, Austria; 3Zoo Decin, Pastýřská stěna, Žižkova 15, Děčín 405 02, Czech Republic; and Tarsius, o.s., Na Pěšině 256, Děčín 405 05, Czech Republic
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Crowley BE, Blanco MB, Arrigo-Nelson SJ, Irwin MT. Stable isotopes document resource partitioning and effects of forest disturbance on sympatric cheirogaleid lemurs. Naturwissenschaften 2013; 100:943-56. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1094-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Revised: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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22
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Nowack J, Mzilikazi N, Dausmann KH. Torpor as an emergency solution in Galago moholi: heterothermy is triggered by different constraints. J Comp Physiol B 2012; 183:547-56. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-012-0725-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2012] [Revised: 10/17/2012] [Accepted: 11/22/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Tecot SR, Baden AL, Romine NK, Kamilar JM. Infant parking and nesting, not allomaternal care, influence Malagasy primate life histories. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1393-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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24
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Dausmann KH. The pitfalls of body temperature measurements. Naturwissenschaften 2012; 99:511-3. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-012-0924-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2012] [Accepted: 05/10/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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25
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Kamilar JM, Muldoon KM, Lehman SM, Herrera JP. Testing Bergmann's rule and the resource seasonality hypothesis in Malagasy primates using GIS-based climate data. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2012; 147:401-8. [PMID: 22271559 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2011] [Accepted: 11/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
We tested four major hypotheses on the ecological aspects of body mass variation in extant Malagasy strepsirrhines: thermoregulation, resource seasonality/scarcity, resource quality, and primary productivity. These biogeographic hypotheses focus on the ecological aspects of body mass variation, largely ignoring the role of phylogeny for explaining body mass variation within lineages. We tested the independent effects of climate and resource-related variables on variation in body mass among Malagasy primates using recently developed comparative methods that account for phylogenetic history and spatial autocorrelation. We extracted data on lemur body mass and climate variables for a total of 43 species from 39 sites. Climatic data were obtained from the WorldClim database, which is based on climate data from weather stations compiled around the world. Using generalized linear models that incorporate parameters to account for phylogenetic and spatial autocorrelation, we found that diet and climate variables were weak predictors of lemur body mass. Moreover, there was a strong phylogenetic effect relative to the effects of space on lemur body mass in all models. Thus, we failed to find support for any of the four hypotheses on patterns of geography and body mass in extant strepsirrhines. Our results indicate that body mass has been conserved since early in the evolutionary history of each genus, while species diversified into different environmental niches. Our findings are in contrast to some previous studies that have suggested resource and climate related effects on body mass, though these studies have examined this question at different taxonomic and/or geographic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason M Kamilar
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA.
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26
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McKechnie AE, Mzilikazi N. Heterothermy in Afrotropical mammals and birds: a review. Integr Comp Biol 2011; 51:349-63. [PMID: 21705792 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icr035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the number of Afrotropical endotherms known to avoid mismatches between energy supply and demand by using daily torpor and/or hibernation. Among mammals, heterothermy has been reported in 40 species in six orders, namely Macroscelidea, Afrosoricida, Rodentia, Eulipotyphla, Primates and Chiroptera. These species span a range in body mass of 7-770 g, with minimum heterothermic body temperatures ranging from 1-27°C and bout length varying from 1 h to 70 days. Daily torpor is the most common form of heterothermy, with true hibernation being observed in only seven species, Graphiurus murinus, Graphiurus ocularis, Atelerix frontalis, Cheirogaleus medius, Cheirogaleus major, Microcebus murinus and Microcebus griseorufus. The traditional distinction between daily torpor and hibernation is blurred in some species, with free-ranging individuals exhibiting bouts of > 24 h and body temperatures < 16 °C, but none of the classical behaviours associated with hibernation. Several species bask in the sun during rewarming. Among birds, heterothermy has been reported in 16 species in seven orders, and is more pronounced in phylogenetically older taxa. Both in mammals and birds, patterns of heterothermy can vary dramatically among species occurring at a particular site, and even among individuals of a single species. For instance, patterns of heterothermy among cheirogalid primates in western Madagascar vary from daily torpor to uninterrupted hibernation for up to seven months. Other examples of variation among closely-related species involve small owls, elephant shrews and vespertilionid bats. There may also be variation in terms of the ecological correlates of torpor within a species, as is the case in the Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E McKechnie
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
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