摘要在闷闷不乐的时期,冬眠动物可以显著降低代谢率(MR)和体温(Tb)。然而,为了避免低温下的生理功能紊乱,他们在关键的最低限度保护结核病,通常在〜0°C和10°C之间通过MR的增加。因为催促期间的体温调节需要额外的能量,在较冷的气候下,应选择Tb较低的个体,因此在干旱期间MR最小。这种种间和种内变异发生在一些胎盘哺乳动物中,但是对于进化独立的有袋动物,可用的信息是稀缺的。有袋动物东部侏儒负鼠(Cercartetusnanus;〜22g体重),广泛分布在澳大利亚东南沿海,包括亚热带到高山地区,用于检验以下假设:强弱个体的防御Tb与其栖息地的气候有关。从五个地区捕获了负鼠,相距1,515公里,冬季(7月)最低环境温度(minTenv\s)范围为-3.9°C至6.6°C。在环境温度(Ta)下缓慢冷却深火中的圈养负鼠,当测量他们的MR以确定最小Torpor代谢率(TMR)时,他们的MR因体温调节而增加的Ta(minTa),和相应的最小Tb(minTb)。偏最小二乘回归分析表明,Ta和Tenv是minTb的最强解释变量。最小Tb和Ta也与纬度相关,但与捕获点的海拔无关。然而,对于经历minTenv>0°C的个体,在minTenv和minTb和Ta之间观察到最佳相关性;这些个体在-0.8°C和3.7°C之间热符合minTa,它们的minTb范围为0.5°C至6.0°C,比捕获位点的minTenv低0.5°C-2.6°C。相比之下,经历-3.9°CminTenv的个体在Tenv以上0.6°C±0.2°C或4.5°C时调节Tb。所有负鼠的最小TMR与Ta没有差异,因此在人群之间没有差异,为基础MR的2.6%。这些数据提供了新的证据,表明有袋动物的热变量受到区域种内变异的影响。这表明minTb是minTenv的函数,但仅在0°C以上,也许是因为野生负鼠的Tb-Ta差异,在-3.9°C的minTenv时,保持足够小以通过MR的少量增加来补偿,并且不需要将Tb降低到0°C以下的生理能力。
AbstractDuring periods of torpor, hibernators can reduce metabolic rate (MR) and body temperature (Tb) substantially. However, to avoid physiological dysfunction at low temperatures, they defend Tb at a critical minimum, often between ~0°C and 10°C via an increase in MR. Because thermoregulation during torpor requires extra energy, individuals with lower Tb\'s and thus minimal MR during torpor should be selected in colder climates. Such inter- and intraspecific variations occur in some placental mammals, but for the evolutionary separate marsupials, available information is scarce. Marsupial eastern pygmy possums (Cercartetus nanus; ~22 g body mass), widely distributed along the Australian southeastern coast including subtropical to alpine areas, were used to test the hypothesis that the defended Tb of torpid individuals is related to the climate of their habitat. Possums were captured from five regions, 1,515 km apart, with midwinter (July) minimum environmental temperatures (min Tenv\'s) ranging from -3.9°C to 6.6°C. Captive possums in deep torpor were slowly cooled with ambient temperature (Ta), while their MR was measured to determine the minimum torpor metabolic rate (TMR), the Ta at which their MR increased for thermoregulation (min Ta), and the corresponding minimum Tb (min Tb). Partial least squares regression analysis revealed that Ta and Tenv were the strongest explanatory variables for the min Tb. The min Tb and Ta were also correlated with latitude but not elevation of the capture sites. However, the best correlations were observed between the min Tenv and the min Tb and Ta for individuals experiencing min Tenv>0°C; these individuals thermoconformed to min Ta\'s between -0.8°C and 3.7°C, and their min Tb ranged from 0.5°C to 6.0°C and was 0.5°C-2.6°C below the min Tenv at the capture site. In contrast, individuals experiencing a min Tenv of -3.9°C regulated Tb at 0.6°C±0.2°C or 4.5°C above the Tenv. The minimum TMR of all possums did not differ with Ta and thus did not differ among populations and was 2.6% of the basal MR. These data provide new evidence that thermal variables of marsupials are subject to regional intraspecific variation. It suggests that min Tb is a function of the min Tenv but only above 0°C, perhaps because the Tb-Ta differential for torpid possums in the wild, at a min Tenv of -3.9°C, remains small enough to be compensated by a small increase in MR and does not require the physiological capability for a reduction of Tb below 0°C.