1. |
- Andreasson, Fredrik, et al.
(author)
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Age differences in night-time metabolic rate and body temperature in a small passerine
- 2020
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In: Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0174-1578. ; 190, s. 349-359
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spending the winter in northern climes with short days and cold ambient temperatures (Ta) can be energetically challenging for small birds that have high metabolic and heat loss rates. Hence, maintaining body temperature (Tb) in Ta below thermoneutrality can be energetically costly for a small bird. We still know little about how increased heat production below thermoneutrality affects the level at which Tb is maintained, and if these patterns are age specific. To test this, we measured subcutaneous body temperature (Ts) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) simultaneously in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) during winter nights in Ta’s ranging from 25 to − 15 °C. RMR increased below the lower critical temperature (LCT, estimated at 14 °C) and was 6% higher in young (birds in their first winter) compared to old birds (birds in their second winter or older). The higher RMR was also mirrored in higher Ts and thermal conductance (C) in young birds, which we suggest could be caused by age differences in plumage quality, likely driven by time constraints during moult. Reduction in nightly predicted Tb was modest and increased again at the coldest ambient temperatures, suggesting that either heat retention or heat production (or both) improved when Ta reached levels which are cold by the standards of birds in our population. Our results show that levels of heat production and Tb can be age specific. Further studies should address age-specific differences on quality, structure, and thermal conductivity of plumage more explicitly, to investigate the role of variation in insulation in age-linked metabolic phenotypes.
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3. |
- Ekström, Andreas, 1979, et al.
(author)
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Adrenergic tone benefits cardiac performance and warming tolerance in two teleost fishes that lack a coronary circulation.
- 2021
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In: Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-136X. ; 191, s. 701-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tolerance to acute environmental warming in fish is partly governed by the functional capacity of the heart to increase systemic oxygen delivery at high temperatures. However, cardiac function typically deteriorates at high temperatures, due to declining heart rate and an impaired capacity to maintain or increase cardiac stroke volume, which in turn has been attributed to a deterioration of the electrical conductivity of cardiac tissues and/or an impaired cardiac oxygen supply. While autonomic regulation of the heart may benefit cardiac function during warming by improving myocardial oxygenation, contractility and conductivity, the role of these processes for determining whole animal thermal tolerance is not clear. This is in part because interpretations of previous pharmacological in vivo experiments in salmonids are ambiguous and were confounded by potential compensatory increases in coronary oxygen delivery to the myocardium. Here, we tested the previously advanced hypothesis that cardiac autonomic control benefits heart function and acute warming tolerance in perch (Perca fluviatilis) and roach (Rutilus rutilus); two species that lack coronary arteries and rely entirely on luminal venous oxygen supplies for cardiac oxygenation. Pharmacological blockade of β-adrenergic tone lowered the upper temperature where heart rate started to decline in both species, marking the onset of cardiac failure, and reduced the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) in perch. Cholinergic (muscarinic) blockade had no effect on these thermal tolerance indices. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that adrenergic stimulation improves cardiac performance during acute warming, which, at least in perch, increases acute thermal tolerance.
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4. |
- Ekström, Andreas, 1979, et al.
(author)
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Can't beat the heat? Importance of cardiac control and coronary perfusion for heat tolerance in rainbow trout
- 2019
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In: Journal of Comparative Physiology B-Biochemical Systems and Environmental Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0174-1578 .- 1432-136X. ; 189, s. 757-769
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coronary perfusion and cardiac autonomic regulation may benefit myocardial oxygen delivery and thermal performance of the teleost heart, and thus influence whole animal heat tolerance. Yet, no study has examined how coronary perfusion affects cardiac output during warming in vivo. Moreover, while beta-adrenergic stimulation could protect cardiac contractility, and cholinergic decrease in heart rate may enhance myocardial oxygen diffusion at critically high temperatures, previous studies in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) using pharmacological antagonists to block cholinergic and beta-adrenergic regulation showed contradictory results with regard to cardiac performance and heat tolerance. This could reflect intra-specific differences in the extent to which altered coronary perfusion buffered potential negative effects of the pharmacological blockade. Here, we first tested how cardiac performance and the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) were affected following a coronary ligation. We then assessed how these performances were influenced by pharmacological cholinergic or beta-adrenergic blockade, hypothesising that the effects of the pharmacological treatment would be more pronounced in coronary ligated trout compared to trout with intact coronaries. Coronary blockade reduced CTmax by 1.5 degrees C, constrained stroke volume and cardiac output across temperatures, led to earlier cardiac failure and was associated with reduced blood oxygen-carrying capacity. Nonetheless, CTmax and the temperatures for cardiac failure were not affected by autonomic blockade. Collectively, our data show that coronary perfusion improves heat tolerance and cardiac performance in trout, while evidence for beneficial effects of altered cardiac autonomic tone during warming remains inconclusive.
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5. |
- Ekström, Andreas, 1979, et al.
(author)
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Chronic environmental warming alters cardiovascular and haematological stress responses in European perch (Perca fluviatilis)
- 2016
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In: Journal of Comparative Physiology B-Biochemical Systemic and Environmental Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0174-1578 .- 1432-136X. ; 186:8, s. 1023-1031
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Environmental warming and acute stress increase cardiorespiratory activity in ectothermic animals like fish. While thermal acclimation can buffer the direct thermal effects on basal cardiorespiratory function during chronic warming, little is known about how acclimation affects stress-induced cardiorespiratory responses. We compared cardiovascular and haematological responses to chasing stress in cannulated wild European perch (Perca fluviatilis) from a reference area at natural temperature (16 A degrees C) with perch from the 'Biotest enclosure'; an experimental system chronically warmed (22 A degrees C) by effluents from a nuclear power plant. Routine blood pressure was similar, but Biotest perch had slightly higher resting heart rate (59.9 +/- 2.8 vs 51.3 +/- 2.9 beats min(-1)), although the Q (10) for heart rate was 1.3, indicating pronounced thermal compensation. Chasing stress caused hypertension and a delayed tachycardia in both groups, but the maximum heart rate increase was 2.5-fold greater in Biotest fish (43.3 +/- 4.3 vs 16.9 +/- 2.7 beats min(-1)). Moreover, the pulse pressure response after stress was greater in reference fish, possibly due to the less pronounced tachycardia or a greater ventricular pressure generating capacity and thermally mediated differences in aortic compliance. Baseline haematological status was also similar, but after chasing stress, the haematocrit was higher in Biotest fish due to exacerbated red blood cell swelling. This study highlights that while eurythermal fishes can greatly compensate routine cardiorespiratory functions through acclimation processes, stress-induced responses may still differ markedly. This knowledge is essential when utilising cardiorespiratory variables to quantify and compare stress responses across environmental temperatures, and to forecast energetic costs and physiological constraints in ectothermic animals under global warming.
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6. |
- Goode, Chloe K., et al.
(author)
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Control of high-speed jumps in muscle and spring actuated systems : a comparative study of take-off energetics in bush-crickets (Mecopoda elongata) and locusts (Schistocerca gregaria)
- 2023
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In: Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology. - : Springer Nature. - 0174-1578 .- 1432-136X. ; 193, s. 597-605
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Orthoptera are a diverse insect order well known for their locomotive capabilities. To jump, the bush-cricket uses a muscle actuated (MA) system in which leg extension is actuated by contraction of the femoral muscles of the hind legs. In comparison, the locust uses a latch mediated spring actuated (LaMSA) system, in which leg extension is actuated by the recoil of spring-like structure in the femur. The aim of this study was to describe the jumping kinematics of Mecopoda elongata (Tettigoniidae) and compare this to existing data in Schistocerca gregaria (Acrididae), to determine differences in control of rotation during take-off between similarly sized MA and LaMSA jumpers. 269 jumps from 67 individuals of M. elongata with masses from 0.014 g to 3.01 g were recorded with a high-speed camera setup. In M. elongata, linear velocity increased with mass0.18 and the angular velocity (pitch) decreased with mass−0.13. In S. gregaria, linear velocity is constant and angular velocity decreases with mass−0.24. Despite these differences in velocity scaling, the ratio of translational kinetic energy to rotational kinetic energy was similar for both species. On average, the energy distribution of M. elongata was distributed 98.8% to translational kinetic energy and 1.2% to rotational kinetic energy, whilst in S. gregaria it is 98.7% and 1.3%, respectively. This energy distribution was independent of size for both species. Despite having two different jump actuation mechanisms, the ratio of translational and rotational kinetic energy formed during take-off is fixed across these distantly related orthopterans.
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7. |
- Hansen, J., et al.
(author)
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Mechanical efficiency of the trout heart during volume and pressure-loading : Metabolic implications of the stiffness of the ventricular tissue
- 2002
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In: Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0174-1578 .- 1432-136X. ; 172:6, s. 477-484
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the mammalian heart the metabolic costs of pressure loading exceed those of volume loading. As evidence suggests that the opposite may be true in fish, we evaluated the metabolic costs of volume and pressure loading in the isolated trout heart and compared the results with the mammalian heart based on the biomechanical properties of cardiac muscle. The highest power output (2.33 ± 0.32 mW g-1, n = 5) appeared at the highest preload pressure tested (0.3 kPa) and at an afterload of 5 kPa. At a higher afterload, power did not increase because stroke volume fell. The highest mechanical efficiency (20.7 ± 2.0%, n = 5) was obtained at a preload of 0.15 kPa and an afterload of 5 kPa. Further increases in preload or afterload did not increase mechanical efficiency, probably because of increases in ventricular wall stress which increased the oxygen consumed disproportionately more than the stroke work. Under pressure unloading (25% decrease in power output), mechanical efficiency was significantly higher in comparison with volume unloading. Given that stiffness of the ventricular tissue is larger in trout than in rat papillary muscles, it is suggested that the increased strain during volume loading is energetically disadvantageous for stiff muscles like those of trout, but it is advantageous when muscle stiffness is lower as it occurs in the rat papillary muscle.
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8. |
- Holmes, Janet M, et al.
(author)
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The effects of the metal ions Mn2+ and Co2+ on muscle contraction in the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.)
- 1999
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In: Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0174-1578 .- 1432-136X. ; 169, s. 402-410
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The effects of the metal ions manganese and cobalt on force production by the abdominal superficial flexor muscle of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, have been studied in response to both neuronal stimulation and electrical field stimulation applied to an isolated neuromuscular preparation, and by selectively blocking synaptic transmission with Ivermectin. In response to both forms of stimulation, low concentrations of manganese added to the standard N. norvegicus saline increased the contractile force produced by the muscle, whereas higher concentrations of manganese inhibited both responses in a dose-dependent manner, until force was completely abolished at concentrations above 2.9 mM manganese. Cobalt ions produced similar effects, and no significant difference was found between the concentration of the two ions at 50% force inhibition (K-m) or between the two stimulation methods (manganese: 1.22 mM; cobalt: 1.29 mM, P = 0.86). This suggests that they have a similar mode of action, and a postsynaptic site of inhibition. These K-m values are considerably higher than the concentrations of these ions known to accumulate in the haemolymph of N. norvegicus under eutrophic conditions, and it therefore seems unlikely that accumulations of manganese or cobalt ions under such conditions would cause any significant inhibition of muscle contraction force.
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9. |
- Jastroch, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Pros and cons for the evidence of adaptive non-shivering thermogenesis in marsupials
- 2021
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In: Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0174-1578 .- 1432-136X. ; 191:6, s. 1085-1095
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The thermogenic mechanisms supporting endothermy are still not fully understood in all major mammalian subgroups. In placental mammals, brown adipose tissue currently represents the most accepted source of adaptive non-shivering thermogenesis. Its mitochondrial protein UCP1 (uncoupling protein 1) catalyzes heat production, but the conservation of this mechanism is unclear in non-placental mammals and lost in some placentals. Here, we review the evidence for and against adaptive non-shivering thermogenesis in marsupials, which diverged from placentals about 120-160 million years ago. We critically discuss potential mechanisms that may be involved in the heat-generating process among marsupials.
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10. |
- Johansson, Marcus, 1982, et al.
(author)
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Energy stores, lipid mobilization and leptin endocrinology of rainbow trout
- 2016
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In: Journal of Comparative Physiology B-Biochemical Systemic and Environmental Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0174-1578. ; 186:6, s. 759-773
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The physiological role of leptin in fish is not fully elucidated. In the present study, the involvement of the leptin system in lipid deposition and mobilization in rainbow trout during feeding and 1, 2 and 4 weeks of fasting was investigated in two lines of rainbow trout with different muscle and visceral adiposity: a fat line (FL) with high total energy reserves, high muscle adiposity, but low visceral adiposity and a lean line (LL) with lower total energy reserves and lower muscle adiposity, but higher visceral adiposity. During 4 weeks of fasting, muscle lipids decreased by 63 % in the FL fish, while no such energy mobilization from muscle occurred in the LL fish. On the other hand, lipid stores in liver and visceral adipose tissue was utilized to a similar extent by the two fish lines during fasting. Under normal feeding conditions, plasma leptin levels were higher in the LL than the FL fish, suggesting a possible contribution of visceral adipocytes to plasma leptin levels. Plasma leptin-binding protein levels did not differ between the lines and were not affected by fasting. After 4 weeks of fasting, the long leptin receptor and the leptin-binding protein isoforms 1 and 3 muscle expression increased in the LL fish, as well as hepatic expression of leptin A1 and the two binding protein isoforms. These responses were not seen in the FL fish. The data suggest that the Lep system in rainbow trout is involved in regulation of energy stores and their mobilization.
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