Search: id:"swepub:oai:DiVA.org:su-208276" >
Obligatory homeothe...
Obligatory homeothermy of mesic habitat-adapted African striped mice, Rhabdomys pumilio, is governed by seasonal basal metabolism and year-round 'thermogenic readiness' of brown adipose tissue
- Article/chapterEnglish2022
Publisher, publication year, extent ...
-
2022-07-04
-
The Company of Biologists,2022
-
printrdacarrier
Numbers
-
LIBRIS-ID:oai:DiVA.org:su-208276
-
https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-208276URI
-
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243860DOI
Supplementary language notes
-
Language:English
-
Summary in:English
Part of subdatabase
Classification
-
Subject category:ref swepub-contenttype
-
Subject category:art swepub-publicationtype
Notes
-
Small mammals undergo thermoregulatory adjustments in response to changing environmental conditions. Whereas small heterothermic mammals can employ torpor to save energy in the cold, homeothermic species must increase heat production to defend normothermia through the recruitment of brown adipose tissue (BAT). Here, we studied thermoregulatory adaptation in an obligate homeotherm, the African striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio), captured from a subpopulation living in a mesic, temperate climate with marked seasonal differences. Basal metabolic rate (BMR), nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) and summit metabolic rate (M-sum) increased from summer to winter, with NST and M-sum already reaching maximal rates in autumn, suggesting seasonal preparation for the cold. Typical of rodents, cold-induced metabolic rates were positively correlated with BAT mass. Analysis of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity and UCP1 content, however, demonstrated that thermogenic capacity declined with BAT mass. This resulted in seasonal differences in NST being driven by changes in BMR. The increase in BMR was supported by a comprehensive anatomical analysis of metabolically active organs, revealing increased mass proportions in the cold season. The thermoregulatory response of R. pumilio was associated with the maintenance of body mass throughout the year (48.3 +/- 1.4 g), contrasting large summer-winter mass reductions often observed in Holarctic rodents. Collectively. bioenergetic adaptation of this Afrotropical rodent involves seasonal organ adjustments influencing BMR, combined with a constant thermogenic capacity dictated by trade-offs in the thermogenic properties of BAT. Arguably, this high degree of plasticity was a response to unpredictable cold spells throughout the year. Consequently, the reliance on such a resource-intensive thermoregulatory strategy may expose more energetic vulnerability in changing environments of food scarcity and extreme weather conditions due to climate change, with major ramifications for survival of the species.
Subject headings and genre
Added entries (persons, corporate bodies, meetings, titles ...)
-
Jastroch, MartinStockholms universitet,Institutionen för molekylär biovetenskap, Wenner-Grens institut,German Research Center for Environmental Health, Germany(Swepub:su)maja7434
(author)
-
Mzilikazi, Nomakwezi
(author)
-
Stockholms universitetInstitutionen för molekylär biovetenskap, Wenner-Grens institut
(creator_code:org_t)
Related titles
-
In:Journal of Experimental Biology: The Company of Biologists225:130022-09491477-9145
Internet link
Find in a library
To the university's database