Ambient Temperature Cycles Affect Daily Torpor and Hibernation Patterns in Malagasy Tenrecs
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LJMU Research Online Dausmann, KH, Levesque, DL, Wein, J and Nowack, J Ambient Temperature Cycles Affect Daily Torpor and Hibernation Patterns in Malagasy Tenrecs. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/13213/ Article Citation (please note it is advisable to refer to the publisher’s version if you intend to cite from this work) Dausmann, KH, Levesque, DL, Wein, J and Nowack, J (2020) Ambient Temperature Cycles Affect Daily Torpor and Hibernation Patterns in Malagasy Tenrecs. Frontiers in Physiology, 11. ISSN 1664-042X LJMU has developed LJMU Research Online for users to access the research output of the University more effectively. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LJMU Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of the record. Please see the repository URL above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. For more information please contact [email protected] http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/ fphys-11-00522 May 26, 2020 Time: 17:58 # 1 ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 28 May 2020 doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00522 Ambient Temperature Cycles Affect Daily Torpor and Hibernation Patterns in Malagasy Tenrecs Kathrin H. Dausmann1*, Danielle L. Levesque2, Jens Wein1 and Julia Nowack3 1 Functional Ecology, Institute of Zoology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, 2 School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States, 3 School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom Hibernation and daily torpor (heterothermy) allow endotherms to cope with demanding environmental conditions. The depth and duration of torpor bouts vary considerably between tropical and temperate climates, and tropical hibernators manage to cope with a wider spectrum of ambient temperature (Ta) regimes during heterothermy. As cycles in Ta can have profound effects on activity and torpor patterns as well as energy expenditure, we examined how these characteristics are affected by daily fluctuating versus constant Ta in a tropical hibernator, the lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi). Throughout the study, regardless of season, the tenrecs became torpid every day. In summer, E. telfairi used daily fluctuations in Ta to passively rewarm from Edited by: daily torpor, which led to synchrony in the activity phases and torpor bouts between Dehua Wang, Institute of Zoology (CAS), China individuals and generally decreased energy expenditure. In contrast, animals housed Reviewed by: at constant Ta showed considerable variation in timing and they had to invest more Viviana Carmen Lo Martire, energy through endogenous heat production. During the hibernation season (winter) University of Bologna, Italy E. telfairi hibernated for several months in constant, as well as in fluctuating T and, as Stefano Bastianini, a University of Bologna, Italy in summer, under fluctuating Ta arousals were much more uniform and showed less *Correspondence: variation in timing compared to constant temperature regimes. The timing of torpor is Kathrin H. Dausmann not only important for its effective use, but synchronization of activity patterns could also [email protected] be essential for social interactions, and successful foraging bouts. Our results highlight Specialty section: that Ta cycles can be an effective zeitgeber for activity and thermoregulatory rhythms This article was submitted to throughout the year and that consideration should be given to the choice of temperature Integrative Physiology, a section of the journal regime when studying heterothermy under laboratory conditions. Frontiers in Physiology Keywords: hibernation, torpor, body temperature, zeitgeber, tropics, Echinops telfairi Received: 04 February 2020 Accepted: 28 April 2020 Published: 28 May 2020 INTRODUCTION Citation: Dausmann KH, Levesque DL, Limited food and water supply and unfavorable climatic conditions often require mammals to Wein J and Nowack J (2020) Ambient find means to reduce their dependency on energy and water availability. This holds particularly Temperature Cycles Affect Daily Torpor and Hibernation Patterns true for small animals in harsh climates as their small surface area to volume ratios lead to in Malagasy Tenrecs. greater heat transfer and water loss. Hibernation, prolonged and daily torpor (combined here as Front. Physiol. 11:522. heterothermy) are physiological strategies that allow endotherms to cope with such demanding doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00522 conditions (Lyman et al., 1982). These physiological states are characterized by an active depression Frontiers in Physiology| www.frontiersin.org 1 May 2020| Volume 11| Article 522 fphys-11-00522 May 26, 2020 Time: 17:58 # 2 Dausmann et al. Torpor in Malagasy Tenrecs of metabolic rate (MR) and a change in set point of body radiation during the day. As Tb usually approximates Ta during temperature (Tb, Geiser, 2004; Heldmaier et al., 2004), providing hibernation, this flexibility is also reflected in Tb (Dausmann high savings in energy and water and a lowered Tb that can et al., 2004; Kobbe and Dausmann, 2009; Canale et al., 2012; be close to ambient temperature (Ta) during deep torpor (Ruf Levesque et al., 2014; Reher et al., 2018). For example, the and Geiser, 2015). Daily torpor is limited to short bouts of range of daily Ta fluctuations affects the hibernation pattern less than 24 h, prolonged torpor bouts last for a few days, in the lemur Cheirogaleus medius (Dausmann et al., 2005) whereas hibernation consists of a series of approximately 1–2 and many heterotherms use the daily Ta fluctuations to assist week-long torpor bouts interspersed by active arousals, usually warming up from daily and prolonged torpor or hibernation totaling several months (Geiser, 2004; Heldmaier et al., 2004; bouts (Ortmann et al., 1997; Schmid, 2000; Mzilikazi et al., Nowack et al., 2020). Although heterothermy is best known, 2002; Turbill and Geiser, 2008; Warnecke et al., 2008; Kobbe and probably more common in arctic and temperate climates, and Dausmann, 2009; Warnecke and Geiser, 2010; Thompson it also occurs in the tropics (Cossins and Barnes, 1996; Ruf and et al., 2015). However, Ta cycles not only help rewarming, they Geiser, 2015; Nowack et al., 2020). With increasing numbers of also act as a zeitgeber, influencing activity patterns (Pohl, 1998; ecophysiological field studies there is more and more evidence Vivanco et al., 2010). of heterothermy in tropical mammals: e.g., bats (Stawski and We therefore sought to characterize the effects of differing Geiser, 2011; Reher et al., 2018), cheirogaleid lemurs (Dausmann, Ta patterns on the thermophysiology of a tropical hibernator, 2014), the bushbaby Galago moholi (Nowack et al., 2010), loris the lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi). We aimed to (Ruf et al., 2015; Streicher et al., 2017), tenrecs (Lovegrove evaluate how the choice of hibernaculum (i.e., insulation and Génin, 2008; Oelkrug et al., 2013; Levesque et al., 2014), capacity) influences hibernation parameters in the wild by birds (McKechnie and Mzilikazi, 2011), echidnas, and marsupials examining how daily fluctuating Ta versus constant Ta (Grigg and Beard, 2000; Geiser and Körtner, 2010; Körtner affects patterns of daily torpor and hibernation and energy et al., 2010). In fact, there are more mammalian orders with expenditure. As the previous measures of cost of hibernation heterotherms than without, and it is likely that the capacity for under constant Ta conditions may have overestimated the heterothermy is the ancestral state in mammals (Grigg et al., total frequency and cost of rewarming in tropical hibernators, 2004; Lovegrove, 2012a,b). we measured metabolic rate to test if Ta fluctuations are In contrast to arctic or temperate regions, the ultimate used to assist with warming during arousals. Finally, by triggers of heterothermy in the tropics might not be as straight simulating a range of summer and winter temperatures, forward, and are more multifaceted than low temperature we aimed to analyse how hibernation patterns and energy and low availability of food (see Geiser and Brigham, 2012; expenditure are affected by variable and changing temperatures Nowack et al., 2017, 2020). The costs of endothermy might during hibernation. be less pronounced in many parts of the tropics, however, food and water can be scarce during all or some periods of the year. Thus, the water saving potential of hibernation and MATERIALS AND METHODS daily torpor becomes more important in the tropics (Macmillen, 1965; Cryan and Wolf, 2003; Schmid and Speakman, 2009). Study Species Reductions in MR, Tb, food requirements and activity are Echinops telfairi (Martin, 1838) is a small (135 g) nocturnal accompanied by reductions in evaporative, fecal and urinary insectivorous member of the family Tenrecidae and endemic to water loss, leading to substantial water savings (Cooper et al., Madagascar (Eisenberg and Gould, 1969). It uses daily torpor 2005; Withers et al., 2012). Similarly, the time course and pattern during the austral summer, and hibernates during the winter. It of Tb during hibernation varies considerably between tropical