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Luna F, Sastre-Serra J, Oliver J, Antenucci CD. Growing underground: Development of thermogenesis in pups of the fossorial rodent Ctenomys talarum. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1120415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, during the pup’s development and adult life, integrated requirements of all activities of the individual must conform to a sustained rate of metabolism. Thus, partitioning the available energy according to short-term priorities at a specific moment allows animals to survive and optimize long-term reproductive success. In altricial rodents, thermal balance is a key factor for survival. When no exogenous source of heat is present, altricial pups rapidly lose heat, reaching ambient temperature (Ta). Fossorial rodents showed a strong dependence on burrows, where Ta remains relatively stable within narrow ranges. Pups of the fossorial rodent Ctenomys talarum are altricial, making them an excellent model to evaluate the development of thermogenic capacity. In this study, the ontogeny of the thermogenic capacity of pups of C. talarum was evaluated. Using respirometry techniques, non-shivering thermogenesis (NST), total thermogenic capacity (cold-induced maximum metabolic rate, MMR), and resting metabolic rate (RMR) in pups until post-weaning age (day 60) were analyzed. No NST was present in pups until day 60 despite the presence of molecular markers for NST in brown adipose tissue deposits, which became functional in adults. Although pups are altricial at birth, they maintain their thermal balance behaviorally during lactation. Total thermogenic capacity became fixed at an early age, indicating an improvement in shivering thermogenesis (ST) efficiency after day 10, which might be related to the development of musculature related to digging. Before the aboveground dispersal period (~day 60), pups gradually reached adult Tb by improving ST and thermal isolation, allowing them to confront climatic fluctuations on the surface.
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Acuña F, Portiansky EL, Miglino MA, Flamini MA, Barbeito CG. Embryonic-placental relationship in Lagostomus maximus as compared to other hystricognath rodents and eutherian mammals. ZOOLOGY 2023; 158:126082. [PMID: 36905895 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2023.126082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Reproductive specializations in caviomorphs (infraorder Hystricognathi), are very peculiar within the Order Rodentia. These include long gestations, the birth of offspring with an extreme degree of precociality, and short lactation periods. This study describes the embryo-placental relationship of viable implantation sites (IS) of the plains viscacha, Lagostomus maximus, after 46 post-coital days. The observations recorded in this study are comparatively discussed with those of other hystricognaths and eutherians. At this stage, the embryo resembles that of other eutherians. At this time of embryo development, the placenta exhibits a size, shape, and organization similar to that it will have in its mature state. Besides, the subplacenta is already highly folded. These characteristics are adequate to sustain the development of future precocial offspring. The mesoplacenta, a structure present in other hystricognaths and related to uterine regeneration is described for the first time in this species. This detailed description of the placental and embryonic structure contributes to the knowledge of the reproductive and developmental biology of the viscacha, as well as that of hystricognaths. These characteristics will allow testing other hypotheses related to the morphology and physiology of the placenta and subplacenta, and their relationship with the growth and development of precocial offspring in Hystricognathi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Acuña
- Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
| | - Enrique Leo Portiansky
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina; Laboratorio de Análisis de Imágenes, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - María Angélica Miglino
- Departamento de Cirugia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária y Zootecnia, Universidade de San Pablo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mirta Alicia Flamini
- Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Claudio Gustavo Barbeito
- Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
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Pup Recruitment in a Eusocial Mammal-Which Factors Influence Early Pup Survival in Naked Mole-Rats? Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13040630. [PMID: 36830417 PMCID: PMC9951735 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040630] [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: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In eusocial insects, offspring survival strongly depends on the quality and quantity of non-breeders. In contrast, the influence of social factors on offspring survival is more variable in cooperatively breeding mammals since maternal traits also play an important role. This difference between cooperative insects and mammals is generally attributed to the difference in the level of sociality. Examining offspring survival in eusocial mammals should, therefore, clarify to what extent social organization and taxonomic differences determine the relative contribution of non-breeders and maternal effects to offspring survival. Here, we present the first in-depth and long-term study on the influence of individual, maternal, social and environmental characteristics on early offspring survival in a eusocial breeding mammal, the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber). Similarly to other mammals, pup birth mass and maternal characteristics such as body mass and the number of mammae significantly affected early pup survival. In this eusocial species, the number of non-breeders had a significant influence on early pup survival, but this influence was negative-potentially an artifact of captivity. By contrasting our findings with known determinants of survival in eusocial insects we contribute to a better understanding of the origin and maintenance of eusociality in mammals.
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Cutrera AP, Luna F, Zenuto RR. Acute-Phase Immune Response Involves Fever, Sickness Behavior, and an Elevated Metabolic Rate in the Subterranean Rodent Ctenomys talarum. Physiol Biochem Zool 2022; 95:183-199. [PMID: 35148257 DOI: 10.1086/718409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
AbstractThe acute-phase response (APR) is an induced innate response and may involve pronounced physiological and behavioral changes. One of the most common assays to study the APR involves the use of a lypopolysaccharide (LPS) from the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we determined the energetic costs of the APR in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum, as well as the effects of the exposure to LPS on body temperature, body mass loss, and behavior in this species. Furthermore, we monitored levels of circulating endotoxin after LPS exposure. Our results suggest that in C. talarum, the APR is energetically costly, resulting in a 14% increase in metabolic rate. Animals exposed to LPS experienced a short-term thermal response, weight loss, and changes in their behavior that included more time spent resting and with their eyes totally or partially closed. However, the magnitude of the effects of LPS exposure varied between sexes and among animals. Also, there was a clear peak in circulating endotoxin levels in plasma 3 h postinjection (hpi) and a significant decrease of these levels 24 hpi, but peak endotoxin concentration values recorded were highly variable among animals. In light of these results, ecological determinants of immune function variation in tuco-tucos are discussed considering the roles of pace of life, habitat, and degree of pathogen exposure in these subterranean rodents.
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Fanjul MS, Zenuto RR. Personality underground: evidence of behavioral types in the solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8490. [PMID: 32110481 PMCID: PMC7034374 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal personalities have been studied in a wide variety of taxa, but among rodents, available studies are relatively scarce and have focused mainly on social species. In this study, we evaluated the existence of personality in the solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Specifically, we aimed to test individual differences in behavior that are stable over time and context in males of C. talarum captured in the wild. METHODS Our experimental design included two series of three behavioral tests each, carried out with a 35 day time interval. Each series included an Open Field test, a Social Encounter test, and an Open Field test with a predator stimulus. RESULTS Of the total recorded behaviors, 55.55% showed temporal consistency. Principal component analysis of consistent behaviors grouped them into four dimensions that explain inter individual behavioral variability, in order of importance: activity, socioaversion, boldness and exploration. Therefore, our results suggest that the concept of animal personality is applicable to C. talarum and the dimensions found are in accordance with the ecological and behavioral characteristics of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Sol Fanjul
- Grupo ‘Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento’, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Roxana R. Zenuto
- Grupo ‘Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento’, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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When food access is challenging: evidence of wood mice ability to balance energy budget under predation risk and physiological stress reactions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2756-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Postnatal development of the largest subterranean mammal (Bathyergus suillus): Morphology, osteogenesis, and modularity of the appendicular skeleton. Dev Dyn 2019; 248:1101-1128. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
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Merlo J, Cutrera AP, Zenuto RR. Assessment of Trade-Offs between Simultaneous Immune Challenges in a Slow-Living Subterranean Rodent. Physiol Biochem Zool 2019; 92:92-105. [PMID: 30601103 DOI: 10.1086/701320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The coexistence of two or more infectious agents in the same host is common in nature. Given this, the study of trade-offs within the immune system itself is key to understanding how immune defenses act in wild species in their natural environment. Here we assessed the possible trade-off between an inflammatory response (induced by phytohemagglutinin [PHA]; involving innate and adaptive responses in the study species) and an antibody response (induced by sheep red blood cells [SRBC]; adaptive response) in a slow-living subterranean rodent, the Talas tuco-tuco (Ctenomys talarum Thomas, 1898). According to life-history theory, slow-living species should rely more heavily on adaptive immunity, which develops more slowly than an innate response but is beneficial against repeated infections. Individual physiological condition (estimated by measuring levels of infection and immune, nutritional, and stress parameters) was analyzed during immune challenges. Contrary to what was expected, we found that the magnitude and energetic costs of both immune responses were similar when stimulated alone or simultaneously. Variation in natural antibodies, neutrophils, basophils, total leukocytes, and the ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes in relation to the different treatments was also detected. In particular, natural antibodies were negatively affected by the induction of both immune challenges simultaneously and an increase of neutrophil counts was detected in all animals with the exception of those challenged with SRBC, while the pattern of variation of basophils, total leukocytes, and ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes was not clearly associated with any triggered immune response. In general, our results suggest the absence of an energetic or resource-based trade-off between the immune responses triggered by PHA and SRBC in C. talarum.
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Šumbera R. Thermal biology of a strictly subterranean mammalian family, the African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia) - a review. J Therm Biol 2019; 79:166-189. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Brachetta V, Schleich CE, Cutrera AP, Merlo JL, Kittlein MJ, Zenuto RR. Prenatal predatory stress in a wild species of subterranean rodent: Do ecological stressors always have a negative effect on the offspring? Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:567-581. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Brachetta
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Cristian E. Schleich
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Ana P. Cutrera
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Julieta L. Merlo
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Marcelo J. Kittlein
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Roxana R. Zenuto
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
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Merlo JL, Cutrera AP, Kittlein MJ, Zenuto RR. Individual condition and inflammatory response to PHA in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (Talas tuco-tuco): A multivariate approach. Mamm Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2018.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Amaya JP, Areta JI. Ontogeny of long-range vocalizations in a Neotropical fossorial rodent: the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco ( Ctenomys sp.). PeerJ 2018; 6:e4334. [PMID: 29472999 PMCID: PMC5816585 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys spp.) are subterranean rodents that produce territorial, high intensity long-range vocalizations (LRVs) of broadband and low frequency that are essential for long-distance communication between individuals in different tunnel systems. Despite their importance, the development of LRVs remains poorly understood. In adult Anillaco Tuco-Tucos (Ctenomys sp.) the LRV is composed by two types of syllables (series and individual notes) that are repeated a variable number of times. We studied the development of the LRVs in eight juveniles of the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco ranging from 14-28 to 104-118 days after birth. We (1) tested whether the syllables followed any of three alternative developmental modes (retention of juvenile vocalizations, modification of juvenile precursors or de novo appearance in adults), (2) evaluated the development of structural and acoustic features of syllables, and (3) tested the prediction that juveniles should produce a greater proportion of atypical series in precursors of the LRV than adults, due to lack maturation and/or precise coupling of neuromuscular and anatomical structures. The LRV of the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco exhibited a mixed developmental mode: while series developed from juvenile precursors whose acoustic features gradually approached those of adults, individual notes appeared later in the ontogeny and de novo with acoustic features indistinguishable from those of adults. The number of series per vocalization increased through development and varied from one to 25 in juvenile males and from one to six in juvenile females. The structure of the most common series type (triad) did not exhibit ontogenetic changes and was present as such at the onset of the emission of vocalizations. On the contrary, acoustic features of juvenile triad notes changed with age in both sexes (duration 90% increased through development, while bandwidth 90% and peak frequency decreased). Furthermore, juveniles emitted a higher proportion of atypical series than adults (7.4% vs. 0.3%), as expected in the development of any complex behavior that requires practice to be mastered. The maturation of the LRV occurred well before the sexual maturation, presumably due to the protracted time needed to acquire or build a burrow system long before mating is possible. We propose that protracted vocal development is another component in the slow developmental strategy of Ctenomys and subterranean rodents in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Pablo Amaya
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-CONICET), Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de La Rioja (UNLAR), La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Juan Ignacio Areta
- Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del Noroeste Argentino (IBIGEO-CONICET), Rosario de Lerma, Salta, Argentina
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Heldstab SA, van Schaik CP, Isler K. Being fat and smart: A comparative analysis of the fat-brain trade-off in mammals. J Hum Evol 2017; 100:25-34. [PMID: 27765147 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2015] [Revised: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Humans stand out among non-aquatic mammals by having both an extremely large brain and a relatively large amount of body fat. To understand the evolution of this human peculiarity we report a phylogenetic comparative study of 120 mammalian species, including 30 primates, using seasonal variation in adult body mass as a proxy of the tendency to store fat. Species that rely on storing fat to survive lean periods are expected to be less active because of higher costs of locomotion and have increased predation risk due to reduced agility. Because a fat-storage strategy reduces the net cognitive benefit of a large brain without reducing its cost, such species should be less likely to evolve a larger brain than non-fat-storing species. We therefore predict that the two strategies to buffer food shortages (storing body fat and cognitive flexibility) are compensatory, and therefore predict negative co-evolution between relative brain size and seasonal variation in body mass. This trade-off is expected to be stronger in predominantly arboreal species than in more terrestrial ones, as the cost of transporting additional adipose depots is higher for climbing than for horizontal locomotion. We did, indeed, find a significant negative correlation between brain size and coefficient of variation (CV) in body mass in both sexes for the subsample of arboreal species, both in all mammals and within primates. In predominantly terrestrial species, in contrast, this correlation was not significant. We therefore suggest that the adoption of habitually terrestrial locomotor habits, accompanied by a reduced reliance on climbing, has allowed for a primate of our body size the unique human combination of unusually large brains and unusually large adipose depots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra A Heldstab
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Carel P van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Karin Isler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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Genoud M, Isler K, Martin RD. Comparative analyses of basal rate of metabolism in mammals: data selection does matter. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 93:404-438. [PMID: 28752629 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Basal rate of metabolism (BMR) is a physiological parameter that should be measured under strictly defined experimental conditions. In comparative analyses among mammals BMR is widely used as an index of the intensity of the metabolic machinery or as a proxy for energy expenditure. Many databases with BMR values for mammals are available, but the criteria used to select metabolic data as BMR estimates have often varied and the potential effect of this variability has rarely been questioned. We provide a new, expanded BMR database reflecting compliance with standard criteria (resting, postabsorptive state; thermal neutrality; adult, non-reproductive status for females) and examine potential effects of differential selectivity on the results of comparative analyses. The database includes 1739 different entries for 817 species of mammals, compiled from the original sources. It provides information permitting assessment of the validity of each estimate and presents the value closest to a proper BMR for each entry. Using different selection criteria, several alternative data sets were extracted and used in comparative analyses of (i) the scaling of BMR to body mass and (ii) the relationship between brain mass and BMR. It was expected that results would be especially dependent on selection criteria with small sample sizes and with relatively weak relationships. Phylogenetically informed regression (phylogenetic generalized least squares, PGLS) was applied to the alternative data sets for several different clades (Mammalia, Eutheria, Metatheria, or individual orders). For Mammalia, a 'subsampling procedure' was also applied, in which random subsamples of different sample sizes were taken from each original data set and successively analysed. In each case, two data sets with identical sample size and species, but comprising BMR data with different degrees of reliability, were compared. Selection criteria had minor effects on scaling equations computed for large clades (Mammalia, Eutheria, Metatheria), although less-reliable estimates of BMR were generally about 12-20% larger than more-reliable ones. Larger effects were found with more-limited clades, such as sciuromorph rodents. For the relationship between BMR and brain mass the results of comparative analyses were found to depend strongly on the data set used, especially with more-limited, order-level clades. In fact, with small sample sizes (e.g. <100) results often appeared erratic. Subsampling revealed that sample size has a non-linear effect on the probability of a zero slope for a given relationship. Depending on the species included, results could differ dramatically, especially with small sample sizes. Overall, our findings indicate a need for due diligence when selecting BMR estimates and caution regarding results (even if seemingly significant) with small sample sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Genoud
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Bern, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Karin Isler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich-Irchel, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Robert D Martin
- Integrative Research Center, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, 60605-2496, U.S.A.,Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich-Irchel, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
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Postnatal development of subterranean habits in tuco-tucos Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia, Caviomorpha, Ctenomyidae). J ETHOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-015-0453-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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17
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Schleich CE, Zenuto RR, Cutrera AP. Immune challenge but not dietary restriction affects spatial learning in the wild subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Physiol Behav 2014; 139:150-6. [PMID: 25446226 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Revised: 11/05/2014] [Accepted: 11/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Several lines of evidence suggest that learning and triggering an immune response are both metabolically expensive and thus likely to be subject to nutritional trade-offs between them and other competing demands. Therefore, we evaluated if an immune challenge with a novel antigen affects spatial learning in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum under two different dietary conditions. The results showed that immune-challenged animals were affected in their spatial learning capabilities, increasing the number of errors and marginally the time required to reach the goal of a complex labyrinth. No effect of the dietary restriction nor interaction between factors were observed. This work provides support for the existence of a trade-off between the costs of the immune defense and learning abilities, indicating that when investment is required to fight infection, fewer resources are available for learning. The absence of effect of nutritional condition on this trade-off suggests that other physiological processes, besides cognition, may be limited by the energetic resources necessary to the more immediately critical immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian E Schleich
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CC 1245, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - Roxana R Zenuto
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CC 1245, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Ana P Cutrera
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CC 1245, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Cutrera AP, Luna F, Merlo JL, Baldo MB, Zenuto RR. Assessing the energetic costs and trade-offs of a PHA-induced inflammation in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum: immune response in growing tuco-tucos. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2014; 174:23-8. [PMID: 24726606 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2013] [Revised: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
A traditional approach used to assess whether immune defense is costly is to explore the existence of trade-offs between immunity and other functions; however, quantitative studies of the energetic costs associated with the activation of the immune system are scarce. We assessed the magnitude of a PHA-triggered immune response and the associated energetic costs in 60-day old Ctenomys talarum. We expected that the magnitude of the macroscopic inflammatory response to PHA is lower in young tuco-tucos compared with that of adults, given the allocation of substantial energy to growth, and that the magnitude of the inflammation is lower in male pups compared to females, due to the higher investment in growth of the larger sex. Concomitantly, we expected that the pups challenged with PHA show an increase in oxygen consumption compared to control animals and that a positive association exists between magnitude of the PHA-induced inflammation and oxygen consumption. Contrary to what was expected, young tuco-tucos mounted a higher inflammatory response compared with adults and there were no differences in the magnitude of this response between sexes. The inflammatory response induced by a PHA injection did not represent a significant energetic cost for young tuco-tucos. There were no differences in oxygen consumption between PHA-injected and control animals, and tuco-tucos that mounted a higher inflammatory response to PHA did not show higher oxygen consumption. Energy expenditure, however, is not the only physiological cost involved in trade-offs between immune response and various functions of the organism, and other currencies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Cutrera
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, CONICET Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245 Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - Facundo Luna
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, CONICET Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245 Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Julieta L Merlo
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, CIC - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245 Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - María Belén Baldo
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, CONICET Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245 Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Roxana R Zenuto
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, CONICET Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245 Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Sadowska J, Gębczyński AK, Konarzewski M. Basal metabolic rate is positively correlated with parental investment in laboratory mice. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20122576. [PMID: 23282996 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The assimilation capacity (AC) hypothesis for the evolution of endothermy predicts that the maternal basal metabolic rate (BMR) should be positively correlated with the capacity for parental investment. In this study, we provide a unique test of the AC model based on mice from a long-term selection experiment designed to produce divergent levels of BMR. By constructing experimental families with cross-fostered litters, we were able to control for the effect of the mother as well as the type of pup based on the selected lines. We found that mothers with genetically determined high levels of BMR were characterized by higher parental investment capacity, measured as the offspring growth rate. We also found higher food consumption and heavier visceral organs in the females with high BMR. These findings suggested that the high-BMR females have higher energy acquisition abilities. When the effect of the line type of a foster mother was controlled, the pup line type significantly affected the growth rate only in the first week of life, with young from the high-BMR line type growing more rapidly. Our results support the predictions of the AC model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julita Sadowska
- Institute of Biology, University of Białystok, Świerkowa 20B, Białystok 15-950, Poland.
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20
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Fanjul MS, Zenuto RR. When allowed, females prefer novel males in the polygynous subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tuco). Behav Processes 2012; 92:71-8. [PMID: 23164625 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2012.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 10/04/2012] [Accepted: 10/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The ability to recognize familiar conspecifics plays an important role at the time of choosing a mating partner in rodents. A laboratory study using preference test was used in order to test the hypothesis that, in the polygynous subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum, females prefer novel males when offered two odors, or individuals (one familiar and one novel) limited in their movements so that male aggression is prevented. Our findings show that females prefer novel tuco-tucos at three levels of male assessment: odor samples (consisting of shavings soiled with urine, feces, and presumably, other body secretions collected from the male home cage), confined males behind a wire mesh, and full contact with tethered males. Previous studies of this species demonstrated that in the wild, male-male competition and male coercion severely limit the possibility of females mating non-neighbors, i.e. novel males. Females mating neighbors to whom they are familiarized, obtain high quality mating since they are territorial, highly competitive males. Nonetheless, when females have the opportunity, as shown in the two-choice experiments, they choose novel males, probably benefiting their progeny from novel genetic combinations. Hence, combining evidence from laboratory and field studies in C. talarum, it is possible to better understand female preferences in modeling individual reproductive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Sol Fanjul
- Grupo Ecología fisiológica y del comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Box 1245, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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21
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Vera F, Zenuto RR, Antenucci CD. Seasonal variations in plasma cortisol, testosterone, progesterone and leukocyte profiles in a wild population of tuco-tucos. J Zool (1987) 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2012.00967.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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22
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Canale CI, Huchard E, Perret M, Henry PY. Reproductive resilience to food shortage in a small heterothermic primate. PLoS One 2012; 7:e41477. [PMID: 22848507 PMCID: PMC3405090 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2011] [Accepted: 06/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The massive energetic costs entailed by reproduction in most mammalian females may increase the vulnerability of reproductive success to food shortage. Unexpected events of unfavorable climatic conditions are expected to rise in frequency and intensity as climate changes. The extent to which physiological flexibility allows organisms to maintain reproductive output constant despite energetic bottlenecks has been poorly investigated. In mammals, reproductive resilience is predicted to be maximal during early stages of reproduction, due to the moderate energetic costs of ovulation and gestation relative to lactation. We experimentally tested the consequences of chronic-moderate and short-acute food shortages on the reproductive output of a small seasonally breeding primate, the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) under thermo-neutral conditions. These two food treatments were respectively designed to simulate the energetic constraints imposed by a lean year (40% caloric restriction over eight months) or by a sudden, severe climatic event occurring shortly before reproduction (80% caloric restriction over a month). Grey mouse lemurs evolved under the harsh, unpredictable climate of the dry forest of Madagascar and should thus display great potential for physiological adjustments to energetic bottlenecks. We assessed the resilience of the early stages of reproduction (mating success, fertility, and gestation) to these contrasted food treatments, and on the later stages (lactation and offspring growth) in response to the chronic food shortage only. Food deprived mouse lemurs managed to maintain constant most reproductive parameters, including oestrus timing, estrogenization level at oestrus, mating success, litter size, and litter mass as well as their overall number of surviving offspring at weaning. However, offspring growth was delayed in food restricted mothers. These results suggest that heterothermic, fattening-prone mammals display important reproductive resilience to energetic bottlenecks. More generally, species living in variable and unpredictable habitats may have evolved a flexible reproductive physiology that helps buffer environmental fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy I Canale
- UMR 7179 CNRS-MNHN, Département Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Brunoy, France.
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23
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Isler K, van Schaik CP. Allomaternal care, life history and brain size evolution in mammals. J Hum Evol 2012; 63:52-63. [PMID: 22578648 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2012] [Revised: 03/27/2012] [Accepted: 03/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Humans stand out among the apes by having both an extremely large brain and a relatively high reproductive output, which has been proposed to be a consequence of cooperative breeding. Here, we test for general correlates of allomaternal care in a broad sample of 445 mammal species, by examining life history traits, brain size, and different helping behaviors, such as provisioning, carrying, huddling or protecting the offspring and the mother. As predicted from an energetic-cost perspective, a positive correlation between brain size and the amount of help by non-mothers is found among mammalian clades as a whole and within most groups, especially carnivores, with the notable exception of primates. In the latter group, the presence of energy subsidies during breeding instead resulted in increased fertility, up to the extreme of twinning in callitrichids, as well as a more altricial state at birth. In conclusion, humans exhibit a combination of the pattern found in provisioning carnivores, and the enhanced fertility shown by cooperatively breeding primates. Our comparative results provide support for the notion that cooperative breeding allowed early humans to sidestep the generally existing trade-off between brain size and reproductive output, and suggest an alternative explanation to the controversial 'obstetrical dilemma'-argument for the relatively altricial state of human neonates at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Isler
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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24
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Echeverría AI, Vassallo AI. Role of maternal odors on foraging behavior during postnatal development in a solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Acta Ethol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-011-0113-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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25
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Del Valle JC, López Mañanes AA. Digestive flexibility in females of the subterranean rodent ctenomys talarum in their natural habitat. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL GENETICS AND PHYSIOLOGY 2011; 315:141-148. [PMID: 21370482 DOI: 10.1002/jez.658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2010] [Revised: 10/04/2010] [Accepted: 11/11/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We studied the occurrence of digestive strategies at different levels in females of the subterranean herbivorous rodent Ctenomys talarum living in their natural habitat. We determined the dimensions of different parts of the gastrointestinal tract and organs along as the activity of key digestive enzymes(sucrase, maltase and N-aminopeptidase) in small intestine in females seasonally caught. Females of C. talarum did not show seasonal variations in the mass of the different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. In nonreproductive females large intestine was longer in autumn, whereas reproductive females did not show seasonal variations in the length of the different parts of the gut. Females of C. talarum exhibited a high sucrose, maltase and N-aminopeptidase activity in small intestine, although these activities were higher in small intestine of females caught in autumn (nonreproductive) than in females caught in winter (reproductive). The results show that C. talarum females exhibit characteristics in the gut at the morphological and biochemical level, which could represent digestive strategies to face the constraints imposed by their costly particular way of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juana C Del Valle
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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26
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Schleich CE. Ontogeny of spatial working memory in the subterranean rodent ctenomys talarum. Dev Psychobiol 2010; 52:592-7. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.20466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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27
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Tassino B, Passos CA. Reproductive biology of Río Negro tuco-tuco, Ctenomys rionegrensis (Rodentia: Octodontidae). Mamm Biol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2009.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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28
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Cutrera AP, Zenuto RR, Luna F, Antenucci CD. Mounting a specific immune response increases energy expenditure of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tuco): implications for intraspecific and interspecific variation in immunological traits. J Exp Biol 2010; 213:715-24. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.037887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
It was recently hypothesised that specific induced defences, which require substantial time and resources and are mostly beneficial against repeated infections, are more likely to be favoured in ‘slow-living-pace’ species. Therefore, understanding how different types of immune defences might vary with life history requires knowledge of the costs and benefits of defence components. Studies that have explored the energetic costs of immunity in vertebrates have done so with a focus primarily on birds and less so on mammals, particularly surface-dwelling rodents. In this study, we evaluated whether an experimental induction of the immune system with a non-pathogenic antigen elevates the energetic expenditure of a subterranean rodent: Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tucos). In both seasons studied, a significant increase in oxygen consumption was verified in immune-challenged tuco-tucos injected with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) compared with control animals. The increase in oxygen consumption 10 days after the exposure to SRBC was lower for female tuco-tucos monitored in the breeding season compared with females in the non-breeding season. Interestingly, antibody titres of female tuco-tucos did not decrease during the breeding season. Our results add new insight into the role of other factors such as basal metabolic rate or degree of parasite exposure besides ‘pace of life’ in modulating the interspecific immunological variation observed in natural populations of mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. P. Cutrera
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Departamento de Biología—Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, C. C. 1245, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - R. R. Zenuto
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Departamento de Biología—Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, C. C. 1245, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - F. Luna
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Departamento de Biología—Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, C. C. 1245, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - C. D. Antenucci
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Departamento de Biología—Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, C. C. 1245, Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Luna F, Antenucci C, Bozinovic F. Comparative Energetics of the SubterraneanCtenomysRodents: Breaking Patterns. Physiol Biochem Zool 2009; 82:226-35. [DOI: 10.1086/597526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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30
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Izquierdo G, Lacey EA. Effects of group size on nest attendance in the communally breeding colonial tuco-tuco. Mamm Biol 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2007.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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31
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Abstract
Life-history trade-offs between components of fitness arise because reproduction entails both gains and costs. Costs of reproduction can be divided into ecological and physiological costs. The latter have been rarely studied yet are probably a dominant component of the effect. A deeper understanding of life-history evolution will only come about once these physiological costs are better understood. Physiological costs may be direct or indirect. Direct costs include the energy and nutrient demands of the reproductive event, and the morphological changes that are necessary to facilitate achieving these demands. Indirect costs may be optional 'compensatory costs' whereby the animal chooses to reduce investment in some other aspect of its physiology to maximize the input of resource to reproduction. Such costs may be distinguished from consequential costs that are an inescapable consequence of the reproductive event. In small mammals, the direct costs of reproduction involve increased energy, protein and calcium demands during pregnancy, but most particularly during lactation. Organ remodelling is necessary to achieve the high demands of lactation and involves growth of the alimentary tract and associated organs such as the liver and pancreas. Compensatory indirect costs include reductions in thermogenesis, immune function and physical activity. Obligatory consequential costs include hyperthermia, bone loss, disruption of sleep patterns and oxidative stress. This is unlikely to be a complete list. Our knowledge of these physiological costs is currently at best described as rudimentary. For some, we do not even know whether they are compensatory or obligatory. For almost all of them, we have no idea of exact mechanisms or how these costs translate into fitness trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Speakman
- Aberdeen Centre for Energy Regulation and Obesity (ACERO), School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK.
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32
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Female reproductive responses to photoperiod and male odours in the subterranean rodentCtenomys talarum. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/bf03194280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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33
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Salvante KG, Walzem RL, Williams TD. What comes first, the zebra finch or the egg: temperature-dependent reproductive, physiological and behavioural plasticity in egg-laying zebra finches. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 210:1325-34. [PMID: 17401116 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.02745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Avian reproduction is generally timed to synchronize chick-rearing with periods of increased food abundance. Consequently, the energetically demanding period of egg production may coincide with periods of lower food availability, fluctuating temperature and more unstable weather. Little is known about the physiological mechanisms underlying temperature-induced variation in egg production. We therefore examined the influence of low ambient temperature (7 degrees C vs 21 degrees C) on reproductive output (e.g. egg mass, clutch size, laying interval, laying rate), daily food consumption and lipid variables in zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata. When faced with egg production at 7 degrees C, laying zebra finches increased energy intake by 12.67 kJ day(-1), and were thus able to maintain body condition (e.g. body mass, fat and muscle score) and circulating triacylglyceride at levels comparable to those at 21 degrees C. However, when producing eggs at 7 degrees C, females took longer to initiate egg laying (6.5 vs 6.1 days at 21 degrees C), and ultimately laid fewer eggs (5.5 vs 6.0 eggs) at a slower rate (0.90 eggs day(-1) vs 0.95 eggs day(-1)). These temperature-related declines in reproductive output were accompanied by decreases in modal (from 36.6 at 21 degrees C to 24.3 nm at 7 degrees C) and median very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle diameter (from 29.6 to 26.4 nm) and in the proportion of VLDL particles that were capable of passing through the pores in the ovary to access the developing ovarian follicles (i.e. particles with diameters between 25 and 44 nm; from 45.90% to 32.55%). However, variation in reproductive output was not related to any static concentration or structural measure of VLDL. Therefore, other temperature-dependent mechanisms must be involved in the physiological processes that regulate reproductive output of passerine birds at low ambient temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina G Salvante
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada.
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Zelová J, Sumbera R, Sedlácek F, Burda H. Energetics in a solitary subterranean rodent, the silvery mole-rat, Heliophobius argenteocinereus, and allometry of RMR in African mole-rats (Bathyergidae). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2007; 147:412-9. [PMID: 17337221 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2007.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2006] [Revised: 12/22/2006] [Accepted: 01/14/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Low resting metabolic rate (RMR) in subterranean rodents used to be considered as a physiological adaptation to cope with stresses of the belowground environment. In African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia), RMR was reported to be independent of body mass. This deviation from a general mammalian pattern was considered a precondition for evolution of eusociality, occurring in some bathyergids. We measured metabolic rate and thermoregulation in the silvery mole-rat, Heliophobius argenteocinereus, the only bathyergid genus for which well-supported, comparable data were still missing. Low RMR (154.04 mL O(2) h(-1), which is 82% of the value predicted for a rodent) corresponds to the value expected in a subterranean rodent. Broad range of the thermoneutral zone (25-33 degrees C) and only slightly higher conductance (17.3 mL O(2) h(-1) degrees C(-1), i.e. 112.5% of that predicted for subterranean mammals) indicate that H. argenteocinereus is adapted to lower burrow temperatures rather than to high temperatures. Low RMR in this solitary species, as in other subterranean rodents in general, is probably associated particularly with high energetic cost of foraging. Our results combined with data on other mole-rats show clearly that RMR within the Bathyergidae is mass-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitka Zelová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Branisovská 31, 370 05 Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic.
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35
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Luna F, Antinuchi CD. Energetics and thermoregulation during digging in the rodent tuco-tuco (Ctenomys talarum). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2007; 146:559-64. [PMID: 16458556 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2005.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2005] [Revised: 12/16/2005] [Accepted: 12/18/2005] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
For subterranean rodents, searching for food by extension of the tunnel system and maintenance of body temperature are two of the most important factors affecting their life underground. In this study we assess the effect of ambient temperature on energetics and thermoregulation during digging in Ctenomys talarum. We measured VO2 during digging and resting at ambient temperature (Ta) below, within, and above thermoneutrality. Digging metabolic rate was lowest at Ta within the thermoneutral zone and increased at both lower and higher temperatures, but body temperature (Tb) remained constant at all Tas. Below thermoneutrality, the cost of digging and thermoregulation are additive. Heat production for thermoregulation would be compensated by heat produced as a by-product of muscular activity during digging. Above thermoneutrality, conduction would be an important mechanism to maintain a constant Tb during digging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Facundo Luna
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, CC1245, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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36
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Vassallo AI. ACQUISITION OF SUBTERRANEAN HABITS IN TUCO-TUCOS (RODENTIA, CAVIOMORPHA, CTENOMYS): ROLE OF SOCIAL TRANSMISSION. J Mammal 2006. [DOI: 10.1644/05-mamm-a-384r2.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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37
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Seasonality of breeding in wild tuco-tucosCtenomys talarum in relation to climate and food availability. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/bf03192680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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38
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del Valle JC, López Mañanes AA, Busch C. Seasonal changes in body composition of Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia: Octodontidae): An herbivore subterranean rodent. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2006; 145:20-5. [PMID: 16793300 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2006.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2005] [Revised: 04/05/2006] [Accepted: 04/07/2006] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Ctenomys talarum is a subterranean herbivorous rodent whose burrow systems exhibit particular characteristics, distinct from other subterranean environments. We studied seasonal variation in body composition of C. talarum in relation to energetic requirements. Body lipid content seasonally changed in C. talarum, related to reproductive cycle and thermorregulatory mechanisms. A decrease in protein body content was found only in spring. Ash content of females was lowest when most of them are in post partum estro. Observed variations in water body content could be associated with plant water content and/or metabolic regulation. Our results show the occurrence of seasonal variations in body composition in C. talarum, which could be related to the high cost of reproduction and the subterranean life style of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juana C del Valle
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245, Mar del Plata 7600, Argentina.
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39
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Cretegny C, Genoud M. Rate of metabolism during lactation in small terrestrial mammals (Crocidura russula, Mus domesticus and Microtus arvalis). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2006; 144:125-34. [PMID: 16630734 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2005.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2005] [Revised: 10/10/2005] [Accepted: 10/11/2005] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Basal rate of metabolism (BMR) and resting maternal rate of metabolism around peak lactation (RMR(L)) were measured in Crocidura russula, Mus domesticus and Microtus arvalis. These species have a moderate or high BMR relative to the scaling relationship of Kleiber. One goal of the study was to check whether females of these species show elevated rates of metabolism during lactation. A second goal was to test for a possible intraspecific correlation between the level of BMR and the change in rate of metabolism associated with lactation. RMR(L) was significantly higher than BMR in all species when changes in body mass between the two states were taken into account. Data available on other small mammals are in accordance with this finding, which does not support the hypothesis that low-BMR mammal species increase their rate of metabolism during reproduction because Kleiber's relationship represents an optimal level for therian reproduction. Within C. russula and M. domesticus, a significant and negative correlation was found between the level of BMR and the change in rate of metabolism associated with lactation. This pattern is presumably due to the fact that low-BMR females undergo more extensive physiological and anatomical changes during lactation than high-BMR females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Cretegny
- Département d' Ecologie et d' Evolution, Bâtiment de Biologie, Université de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Cutrera AP, Lacey EA, Busch C. INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION IN EFFECTIVE POPULATION SIZE IN TALAR TUCO-TUCOS (CTENOMYS TALARUM): THE ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHY. J Mammal 2006. [DOI: 10.1644/05-mamm-a-075r1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Schleich CE, Busch C. Energetic expenditure during vocalization in pups of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Naturwissenschaften 2004; 91:548-51. [PMID: 15452698 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-004-0565-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2004] [Accepted: 08/11/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Theoretical signaling models predict that to be honest, begging vocalizations must be costly. To test this hypothesis, oxygen consumption was measured during resting and begging (i.e., vocalizing) activities in pups of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum by means of open-flow respirometry. No statistical differences in individual oxygen consumption between resting and calling pups ranging in age from day 2 to day 20 were found. Given these data, begging calls of C. talarum could not be considered as honest advertisements of offspring need, contrary to what suggested by the behavioral observations of the mother and pups during the nestling period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Eric Schleich
- Departamento de Biología, CC 1245, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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Cutrera AP, Antinuchi CD, Busch C. Thermoregulatory development in pups of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Physiol Behav 2003; 79:321-30. [PMID: 12834805 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(03)00116-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The effect of the mother's contact and huddling with nest mates on the mass-specific metabolic rate (RMR) and body temperature (T(b)) of pups of Ctenomys talarum from 2 to 45 days of age was evaluated at ambient temperatures (T(a)) within and below the adult thermoneutrality range (25 and 19 degrees C, respectively, the latter corresponding to the one recorded in burrows during the spring, when pups are born). Under these conditions, we recorded the percentage of time that pups spent huddled with nest mates, with their mother and suckling. At 19 degrees C, huddling and contact with the mother significantly reduced pups' body heat loss until they were 15 days old but did not affect their RMR. Fifteen-day-old pups showed an increase in their RMR, associated with the onset of independent thermoregulation. Pups older than 15 days showed a less variable T(b) and their RMR decreased. 2- to 30-day-old pups spent 80% of the time in contact with their mother and, when she was absent, they spent 70% of the time huddled with their nest mates. However, these results did not differ between the two T(a) evaluated. Forty-five-day-old pups reached adult T(b) and spent significantly less time in contact with their mother and nest mates. Huddling did not have a significant effect on energy expenditure of young tuco-tucos, being this related to the stable thermal conditions found in natural burrows and pups' mode of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Cutrera
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, C.C. 1245 (7600), Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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