Seasonal temperature acclimatization in a semi-fossorial mammal and the role of burrows as thermal refuges.

ABSTRACT: Small mammals in habitats with strong seasonal variation in the thermal environment often exhibit physiological and behavioral adaptations for coping with thermal extremes and reducing thermoregulatory costs. Burrows are especially important for providing thermal refuge when above-ground temperatures require high regulatory costs (e.g., water or energy) or exceed the physiological tolerances of an organism. Our objective was to explore the role of burrows as thermal refuges for a small endotherm, the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis), during the summer and winter by quantifying energetic costs associated with resting above and below ground. We used indirect calorimetry to determine the relationship between energy expenditure and ambient temperature over a range of temperatures t

SUBMITTER: Milling CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5858582 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature