Daily torpor reduces the energetic consequences of microhabitat selection for a widespread bat.

ABSTRACT: Homeothermy requires increased metabolic rates as temperatures decline below the thermoneutral zone, so homeotherms typically select microhabitats within or near their thermoneutral zones during periods of inactivity. However, many mammals and birds are heterotherms that relax internal controls on body temperature and go into torpor when maintaining a high, stable body temperature, which is energetically costly. Such heterotherms should be less tied to microhabitats near their thermoneutral zones and, because heterotherms spend more time in torpor and expend less energy at colder temperatures, heterotherms may even select microhabitats in which temperatures are well below their thermoneutral zones. We studied how temperature and daily torpor influence the selection of microhabitats (i.e.,

SUBMITTER: Alston JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9286574 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature