Increased Diurnal Activity Is Indicative of Energy Deficit in a Nocturnal Mammal, the Aardvark.

ABSTRACT: Shifting activity to cooler times of day buffers animals from increased heat and aridity under climate change. Conversely, when resources are limited, some nocturnal species become more diurnal, reducing energetic costs of keeping warm at night. Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are nocturnal, obligate ant- and termite-eating mammals which may be threatened directly by increasing heat and aridity, or indirectly by the effects of climate change on their prey. We hypothesised that the minimum 24-h body temperature of aardvarks would decline during energy scarcity, and that aardvarks would extend their active phases to compensate for reduced resource availability, possibly resulting in increased diurnal activity when aardvarks were energetically compromised. To measure their thermoregulator

SUBMITTER: Weyer NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7358442 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature