INVESTIGADORES
BORGHI Carlos Eduardo
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Thermal Behaviour of Crevices Used by Octomys mimax at the Ischigualasto Provincial Park (Argentina)
Autor/es:
V. CAMPOS; C. E. BORGHI; SANABRIA, E; V. BENINATO; D. LAMBRUSCHI; S.M. GIANONNI,
Lugar:
Mendoza
Reunión:
Congreso; The 10th Internacional Mammalogical Congress; 2009
Institución organizadora:
CCT-MENDOZA-CONICET; International Federation of Mammalogists
Resumen:
Many rodents are able to survive in desert environment because use crevices in rocks to protect them from extreme temperatures. The insulating ability of rocks to moderate fluctuations in temperature can help them to properly thermoregulate. The aims were: - assess the insulating ability of crevices used of O. mimax; - assess if the color of the rocks influences their thermal behaviour. We selected 11 active crevices of sedimentary dark-coloured rocks and 11 light-coloured rocks. The temperature were record every 3 hours during 3 days, in summer. Inside the crevices, temperatures were recorded: in soil (entrance, inside the crevice: 10 cm, 30 and 50 cm), on the rock and in the air. Outside the crevices: on the soil, on the rock and in the air. For statistical analysis we used multiple comparisons among variances and MANOVA. We found differences in the variances on the soil, in dark crevices (inside: 36.59; outside: 101.03) and in light crevices (inside: 25.75; outside: 125.09). Ranges were different, in dark crevices (F(1.18) =5.74,p=0.028) and in light crevices (F(1. 18)=12.296, p=0.003). The temperature means on the soil were: inside 25.47±5.83 and outside: 29.06±13.29. Were differences between the variance on the rock outside and inside in the light crevices (inside: 23.59; outside: 112.42). The maximum and minimum temperature inside the crevices were 29.5±0.79 and 24.9 ±0.49 respectively, and outside 37.06±0.49 and 21.47±0.94. Air temperature outside and inside was similar. To compare temperature within each type of crevice, we grouped: entrance with 10 cm inside the crevice, and 30 cm with 50 cm inside. Differences were found between the variances in light crevice (35.08 and 23.51, respectively) but no in dark crevices. These temperature differences indicate that crevice provide O. mimax with more thermally stable microhabitats. Apparently dark rocks provide a homogenous thermal environment inside the crevices.