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Nespolo RF, Quintero-Galvis JF, Fontúrbel FE, Cubillos FA, Vianna J, Moreno-Meynard P, Rezende EL, Bozinovic F. Climate change and population persistence in a hibernating marsupial. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240266. [PMID: 38920109 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Climate change has physiological consequences on organisms, ecosystems and human societies, surpassing the pace of organismal adaptation. Hibernating mammals are particularly vulnerable as winter survival is determined by short-term physiological changes triggered by temperature. In these animals, winter temperatures cannot surpass a certain threshold, above which hibernators arouse from torpor, increasing several fold their energy needs when food is unavailable. Here, we parameterized a numerical model predicting energy consumption in heterothermic species and modelled winter survival at different climate change scenarios. As a model species, we used the arboreal marsupial monito del monte (genus Dromiciops), which is recognized as one of the few South American hibernators. We modelled four climate change scenarios (from optimistic to pessimistic) based on IPCC projections, predicting that northern and coastal populations (Dromiciops bozinovici) will decline because the minimum number of cold days needed to survive the winter will not be attained. These populations are also the most affected by habitat fragmentation and changes in land use. Conversely, Andean and other highland populations, in cooler environments, are predicted to persist and thrive. Given the widespread presence of hibernating mammals around the world, models based on simple physiological parameters, such as this one, are becoming essential for predicting species responses to warming in the short term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto F Nespolo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile , Valdivia, Chile
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) , Valdivia, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES) , Santiago, Chile
| | - Julian F Quintero-Galvis
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile , Valdivia, Chile
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) , Valdivia, Chile
| | - Francisco E Fontúrbel
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) , Valdivia, Chile
- Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso , Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Francisco A Cubillos
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) , Valdivia, Chile
- Departamento de Biología y Química, Universidad de Santiago de Chile , Santiago, Chile
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio) , Santiago, Chile
| | - Juliana Vianna
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) , Valdivia, Chile
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas , Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Ecosistemas y Medio Ambiente, Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CRG), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile , Santiago, Chile
| | - Paulo Moreno-Meynard
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) , Valdivia, Chile
- Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia CIEP , Coyhaique, Chile
| | - Enrico L Rezende
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES) , Santiago, Chile
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas , Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Bozinovic
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) , Valdivia, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES) , Santiago, Chile
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas , Santiago, Chile
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2
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Wishart AE, Guerrero-Chacón AL, Smith R, Hawkshaw DM, McAdam AG, Dantzer B, Boutin S, Lane JE. Inferring condition in wild mammals: body condition indices confer no benefit over measuring body mass across ecological contexts. Oecologia 2024; 204:161-172. [PMID: 38180565 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05495-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Many studies assume that it is beneficial for individuals of a species to be heavier, or have a higher body condition index (BCI), without accounting for the physiological relevance of variation in the composition of different body tissues. We hypothesized that the relationship between BCI and masses of physiologically important tissues (fat and lean) would be conditional on annual patterns of energy acquisition and expenditure. We studied three species with contrasting ecologies in their respective natural ranges: an obligate hibernator (Columbian ground squirrel, Urocitellus columbianus), a facultative hibernator (black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus), and a food-caching non-hibernator (North American red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). We measured fat and lean mass in adults of both sexes using quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR). We measured body mass and two measures of skeletal structure (zygomatic width and right hind foot length) to develop sex- and species-specific BCIs, and tested the utility of BCI to predict body composition in each species. Body condition indices were more consistently, and more strongly correlated, with lean mass than fat mass. The indices were most positively correlated with fat when fat was expected to be very high (pre-hibernation prairie dogs). In all cases, however, BCI was never better than body mass alone in predicting fat or lean mass. While the accuracy of BCI in estimating fat varied across the natural histories and annual energetic patterns of the species considered, measuring body mass alone was as effective, or superior in capturing sufficient variation in fat and lean in most cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea E Wishart
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada.
| | | | - Rebecca Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Deborah M Hawkshaw
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
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Nowack J, Stawski C, Geiser F, Levesque DL. Rare and Opportunistic Use of Torpor in Mammals-An Echo from the Past? Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:1049-1059. [PMID: 37328423 PMCID: PMC10714912 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Torpor was traditionally seen as a winter survival mechanism employed by animals living in cold and highly seasonal habitats. Although we now know that torpor is also used by tropical and subtropical species, and in response to a variety of triggers, torpor is still largely viewed as a highly controlled, seasonal mechanism shown by Northern hemisphere species. To scrutinize this view, we report data from a macroanalysis in which we characterized the type and seasonality of torpor use from mammal species currently known to use torpor. Our findings suggest that predictable, seasonal torpor patterns reported for Northern temperate and polar species are highly derived forms of torpor expression, whereas the more opportunistic and variable forms of torpor that we see in tropical and subtropical species are likely closer to the patterns expressed by ancestral mammals. Our data emphasize that the torpor patterns observed in the tropics and subtropics should be considered the norm and not the exception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Nowack
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, L3 3AF Liverpool, UK
| | - Clare Stawski
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Maroochydore DC, QLD 4558, Australia
| | - Fritz Geiser
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
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Abarzúa T, Camus I, Ortiz F, Ñunque A, Cubillos FA, Sabat P, Nespolo RF. Modeling heterothermic fitness landscapes in a marsupial hibernator using changes in body composition. Oecologia 2023; 203:79-93. [PMID: 37798536 PMCID: PMC10615951 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05452-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Hibernation is an adaptive strategy that allows animals to enter a hypometabolic state, conserving energy and enhancing their fitness by surviving harsh environmental conditions. However, addressing the adaptive value of hibernation, at the individual level and in natural populations, has been challenging. Here, we applied a non-invasive technique, body composition analysis by quantitative magnetic resonance (qMR), to calculate energy savings by hibernation in a population of hibernating marsupials (Dromiciops gliroides). Using outdoor enclosures installed in a temperate rainforest, and measuring qMR periodically, we determined the amount of fat and lean mass consumed during a whole hibernation cycle. With this information, we estimated the daily energy expenditure of hibernation (DEEH) at the individual level and related to previous fat accumulation. Using model selection approaches and phenotypic selection analysis, we calculated linear (directional, β), quadratic (stabilizing or disruptive, γ) and correlational (ρ) coefficients for DEEH and fat accumulation. We found significant, negative directional selection for DEEH (βDEEH = - 0.58 ± 0.09), a positive value for fat accumulation (βFAT = 0.34 ± 0.07), and positive correlational selection between both traits (ρDEEH × FAT = 0.24 ± 0.07). Then, individuals maximizing previous fat accumulation and minimizing DEEH were promoted by selection, which is visualized by a bi-variate selection surface estimated by generalized additive models. At the comparative level, results fall within the isometric allometry known for hibernation metabolic rate in mammals. Thus, by a combination of a non-invasive technique for body composition analysis and semi-natural enclosures, we were characterized the heterothermic fitness landscape in a semi-natural population of hibernators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Abarzúa
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Isidora Camus
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Felipe Ortiz
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Abel Ñunque
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile
| | - Francisco A Cubillos
- Departamento de Biología y Química, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
| | - Pablo Sabat
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Roberto F Nespolo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
- Millenium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile.
- Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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Nespolo RF, Peña I, Mejías C, Ñunque A, Altamirano T, Bozinovic FF. Communal nesting is the optimal strategy for heat conservation in a social marsupial: lessons from biophysical models. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:284634. [PMID: 36420835 PMCID: PMC9720746 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244606] [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: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Endothermy, understood as the maintenance of continuous and high body temperatures owing to the combination of metabolic heat production and an insulative cover, is severely challenged in small endotherms inhabiting cold environments. As a response, social clustering combined with nest use (=communal nesting) is a common strategy for heat conservation. To quantify the actual amount of energy that is saved by this strategy, we studied the social marsupial Dromiciops gliroides (monito del monte), an endemic species of the cold forests of southern South America. It is hypothesized that sociability in this marsupial was driven by cold conditions, but evidence supporting this hypothesis is unclear. Here, we used taxidermic models ('mannequins') to experimentally test the energetic benefits of clustering combined with nest use. To do this, we fitted and compared cooling curves of solitary and grouped mannequins, within and outside of a nest, at the typical winter ambient temperatures of their habitat (5°C). We found that the strategy that minimized euthermic cost of maintenance was the combination of nest use and clustering, thus supporting communal nesting as a social adaptation to cope with the cold. Considering the basal metabolic rate of monitos, our estimates suggest that the savings represents almost half of energy consumption per day (in resting conditions). This study shows how simple biophysical models could help to evaluate bioenergetic hypotheses for social behavior in cold-adapted endotherms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto F. Nespolo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile,Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile,Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile,Author for correspondence ()
| | - Isabella Peña
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Carlos Mejías
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile,Magister en Ecología Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Abel Ñunque
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile,Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile
| | - Tomás Altamirano
- ECOS (Ecology-Complexity-Society) Laboratory, Center for Local Development (CEDEL), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Villarrica Campus, La Araucanía Region, Chile,National Audubon Society and Cape Horn International Center for Global Change Studies and Biocultural Conservation, Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile,Millennium Nucleus Center for the Socioeconomic Impact of Environmental Policies (CESIEP), Chile
| | - Francisco F. Bozinovic
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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6
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Fontúrbel FE, Franco LM, Bozinovic F, Quintero‐Galvis JF, Mejías C, Amico GC, Vazquez MS, Sabat P, Sánchez‐Hernández JC, Watson DM, Saenz‐Agudelo P, Nespolo RF. The ecology and evolution of the monito del monte, a relict species from the southern South America temperate forests. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8645. [PMID: 35261741 PMCID: PMC8888251 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The arboreal marsupial monito del monte (genus Dromiciops, with two recognized species) is a paradigmatic mammal. It is the sole living representative of the order Microbiotheria, the ancestor lineage of Australian marsupials. Also, this marsupial is the unique frugivorous mammal in the temperate rainforest, being the main seed disperser of several endemic plants of this ecosystem, thus acting as keystone species. Dromiciops is also one of the few hibernating mammals in South America, spending half of the year in a physiological dormancy where metabolism is reduced to 10% of normal levels. This capacity to reduce energy expenditure in winter contrasts with the enormous energy turnover rate they experience in spring and summer. The unique life history strategies of this living Microbiotheria, characterized by an alternation of life in the slow and fast lanes, putatively represent ancestral traits that permitted these cold‐adapted mammals to survive in this environment. Here, we describe the ecological role of this emblematic marsupial, summarizing the ecophysiology of hibernation and sociality, updated phylogeographic relationships, reproductive cycle, trophic relationships, mutualisms, conservation, and threats. This marsupial shows high densities, despite presenting slow reproductive rates, a paradox explained by the unique characteristics of its three‐dimensional habitat. We finally suggest immediate actions to protect these species that may be threatened in the near future due to habitat destruction and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco E. Fontúrbel
- Instituto de Biología Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso Valparaíso Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) Santiago Chile
| | - Lida M. Franco
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas Universidad de Ibagué Ibagué Colombia
| | - Francisco Bozinovic
- Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES) Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | | | - Carlos Mejías
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia Chile
| | | | | | - Pablo Sabat
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
| | | | - David M. Watson
- School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences Charles Sturt University Albury NSW Australia
| | - Pablo Saenz‐Agudelo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia Chile
| | - Roberto F. Nespolo
- Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi) Santiago Chile
- Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES) Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia Chile
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio) Santiago Chile
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