Evolved reductions in body temperature and the metabolic costs of thermoregulation in deer mice native to high altitude.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of endothermy was instrumental to the diversification of birds and mammals, but the energetic demands of maintaining high body temperature could offset the advantages of endothermy in some environments. We hypothesized that reductions in body temperature help high-altitude natives overcome the metabolic challenges of cold and hypoxia in their native environment. Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) from high-altitude and low-altitude populations were bred in captivity to the second generation and were acclimated as adults to warm normoxia or cold hypoxia. Subcutaneous temperature (T_sub, used as a proxy for body temperature) and cardiovascular function were then measured throughout the diel cycle using biotelemetry. Cold hypoxia increased metabolic deman

SUBMITTER: Wearing OH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9515628 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature