INVESTIGADORES
LUNA Facundo
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Evaporative water loss and metabolic parameters under variations in ambient temperature and humidity, for the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tuco)
Autor/es:
ANTENUCCI CD; BALDO MB; LUNA F
Reunión:
Congreso; XI International Mammalogical Congress; 2013
Resumen:
Although subterranean rodents usually inhabit stable environments, they are exposed to ambient variations during foraging, mating and dispersal. This is so for Ctenomys talarum whose burrows are characterized by stable temperature, high relative humidity (RH), hypoxia and hypercapnia. They are exposed not only to variation in these variables when leaving the nest, but also may be affected by annual climatic fluctuations. We evaluate how ambient temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) influence water and energy balance, by estimating evaporative water loss (EWL), basal metabolic rate (BMR), and associated parameters. As expected, body temperature (Tb) and conductance were positively, and BMR negatively correlated with T (p<0.001). Although EWL did not differ with T, it was positively correlated with Tb (p<0.005). RH was evaluated by analyzing the response to high or low RH in individuals which were acclimated at low or high RH. Differences were observed after 10-days treatment.