Influence of pelage insulation and ambient temperature on energy intake and growth of juvenile Siberian hamsters

A new method to estimate hair density of small mammal pelage

Hair density is the most important structural parameter contributing to insulation performance of mammalian pelage, and often is measured in ecophysiological, thermal biological, and evolutionary studies. To date, hair density has been measured using invasive methods on research objects; however, such methods remain challenging despite efforts to increase their ease of use. In this paper, we develop a new method to estimate hair density without skin sampling. We expressed hair density as the inverse of the number of hairs per unit area, that is, the surface area occupied by a single hair (Ah). This area could be further estimated by measuring distances between nearest neighboring hairs (Ln) and calculating the areas of triangles (A) defined by three randomly selected nearest neighboring hairs and representing half of Ah. Empirical tests using 11 skin samples from specimens of six small mammal species showed this to be a simple, lightly invasive, but accurate and widely applicable method.

The Temperature Dependence of Sleep

Mammals have evolved a range of behavioural and neurological mechanisms that coordinate cycles of thermoregulation and sleep. Whether diurnal or nocturnal, sleep onset and a reduction in core temperature occur together. Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep episodes are also accompanied by core and brain cooling. Thermoregulatory behaviours, like nest building and curling up, accompany this circadian temperature decline in preparation for sleeping. This could be a matter of simply comfort as animals seek warmth to compensate for lower temperatures. However, in both humans and other mammals, direct skin warming can shorten sleep-latency and promote NREM sleep. We discuss the evidence that body cooling and sleep are more fundamentally connected and that thermoregulatory behaviours, prior to sleep, form warm microclimates that accelerate NREM directly through neuronal circuits. Paradoxically, this warmth might also induce vasodilation and body cooling. In this way, warmth seeking and nesting behaviour might enhance the circadian cycle by activating specific circuits that link NREM initiation to body cooling. We suggest that these circuits explain why NREM onset is most likely when core temperature is at its steepest rate of decline and why transitions to NREM are accompanied by a decrease in brain temperature. This connection may have implications for energy homeostasis and the function of sleep.

Torpor expression in juvenile and adult Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) differs in frequency, duration and onset in response to a daily cycle in ambient temperature

In addition to morphological and physiological traits of short-day acclimatisation, Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) from Central Asia exhibit spontaneous daily torpor to decrease energy demands during winter. Environmental factors such as food scarcity and low temperatures have been shown to facilitate the use of this temporal reduction in metabolism and body temperature. We investigated the effect of a daily cycle in ambient temperature on short-day acclimation and torpor expression in juvenile and adult Djungarian hamsters. The animals were exposed to a cold dark phase (6°C) and a warmer light phase (18°C) and were compared with control hamsters kept at a constant ambient temperature of 18°C. Under constant conditions, torpor expression did not differ between adult and juvenile hamsters. Although the daily temperature cycle evoked an increased metabolic rate in adult and juvenile hamsters during the dark phase and strengthened the synchronization between torpor entrance and the beginning of the light phase, it did not induce the expected torpor facilitation. In adult hamsters, torpor expression profiles did not differ from those under constant conditions at all. In contrast, juvenile hamsters showed a delayed onset of torpor season, a decreased torpor frequency, depth and duration, as well as an increased number of early torpor terminations coinciding with the rise in ambient temperature after the beginning of the light phase. While the temperature challenge appeared to be of minor importance for energy balance and torpor expression in adult hamsters, it profoundly influenced the overall energy saving strategy of juvenile hamsters, promoting torpor-alleviating active foragers over torpor-prone energy-savers. In addition, our data suggest a more efficient acclimation in juvenile hamsters under additional energy challenges, which reduces the need for torpor expression.

Heat or insulation: behavioral titration of mouse preference for warmth or access to a nest

In laboratories, mice are housed at 20-24°C, which is below their lower critical temperature (≈30°C). This increased thermal stress has the potential to alter scientific outcomes. Nesting material should allow for improved behavioral thermoregulation and thus alleviate this thermal stress. Nesting behavior should change with temperature and material, and the choice between nesting or thermotaxis (movement in response to temperature) should also depend on the balance of these factors, such that mice titrate nesting material against temperature. Naïve CD-1, BALB/c, and C57BL/6 mice (36 male and 36 female/strain in groups of 3) were housed in a set of 2 connected cages, each maintained at a different temperature using a water bath. One cage in each set was 20°C (Nesting cage; NC) while the other was one of 6 temperatures (Temperature cage; TC: 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, or 35°C). The NC contained one of 6 nesting provisions (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10g), changed daily. Food intake and nest scores were measured in both cages. As the difference in temperature between paired cages increased, feed consumption in NC increased. Nesting provision altered differences in nest scores between the 2 paired temperatures. Nest scores in NC increased with increasing provision. In addition, temperature pairings altered the difference in nest scores with the smallest difference between locations at 26°C and 29°C. Mice transferred material from NC to TC but the likelihood of transfer decreased with increasing provision. Overall, mice of different strains and sexes prefer temperatures between 26-29°C and the shift from thermotaxis to nest building is seen between 6 and 10 g of material. Our results suggest that under normal laboratory temperatures, mice should be provided with no less than 6 grams of nesting material, but up to 10 grams may be needed to alleviate thermal distress under typical temperatures.