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High level of daily heterothermy in desert gerbils

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2022

Clara Gyhrs Open the ORCID record for Clara Gyhrs [Opens in a new window] ,
Tiago Macedo ,
Bárbara Bastos Open the ORCID record for Bárbara Bastos [Opens in a new window] ,
Xabier Salgado-Irazabal ,
Mubarak Hammadi ,
Oussama Bouarakia  and
Zbyszek Boratyński
Clara Gyhrs*
Affiliation:
BIOPOLIS, CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal College of Medicine, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Tiago Macedo
Affiliation:
BIOPOLIS, CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Bárbara Bastos
Affiliation:
BIOPOLIS, CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Xabier Salgado-Irazabal
Affiliation:
BIOPOLIS, CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Mubarak Hammadi
Affiliation:
The Abdurrahman Al Rakkaz Center for Research and Studies, Laayoune, Morocco
Oussama Bouarakia
Affiliation:
SARChi Chair on Biodiversity Value and Change, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, Limpopo, South Africa
Zbyszek Boratyński
Affiliation:
BIOPOLIS, CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
*
Author for correspondence: Clara Gyhrs, Email: clara.gyhrs@gmail.com
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Abstract

Daily heterothermy is a strategy employed by endothermic birds and mammals to reduce their energetic costs by lowering their metabolic rate. We recorded nocturnal and diurnal rectal temperatures in three Moroccan Gerbillus rodent species to determine the level of heterothermy. A decrease in body temperature from night to day was observed by an average (±SD) of 8.7 (±4.2) in G. gerbillus, 11.1 (±3.0) in G. amoenus, and 7.7 (±3.3)°C in G. sp.1, the first records of heterothermy in the three species. The findings support a prediction that daily heterothermy is found in mammals from arid and semi-arid regions, contributing to further knowledge of thermoregulation in desert rodents.

Keywords

adaptationGerbillusheterothermymammalsMoroccorodentsSahara-Sahel
Type
Field Note
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 38 , Issue 6 , November 2022 , pp. 451 - 453
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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