Surprisingly low risk of overheating during digging in two subterranean rodents

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00027014%3A_____%2F15%3A%230002172" target="_blank" >RIV/00027014:_____/15:#0002172 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60076658:12310/15:43888672

Result on the web

<a href="http://www.vuzv.cz/sites/File/_privat/15006.pdf" target="_blank" >http://www.vuzv.cz/sites/File/_privat/15006.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.10.029" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.10.029</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Surprisingly low risk of overheating during digging in two subterranean rodents

Original language description

Capacities for and constraints of heat dissipation are considered to be important factors governing maximum intensity and duration of physical activity. Subterranean mammals are endurance diggers, but because of lack of air currents in their burrows, high relative humidity and other physical constraints, the capacity of common mammalian cooling mechanisms underground is very limited. We analyzed surface and body core temperature changes after digging in soft and hard substrates in two species of African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia); the social giant mole-rat Fukomys mechowii and the solitary silvery mole-rat Heliophobius argenteocinereus. As expected, we observed an increase of body core temperature in both species after digging in both substrates. Surprisingly, and contrary to our expectations, we observed remarkable decrease of mole-rats' surface temperature immediately after the end of the digging trials. This decrease was greater in soft and moister soil than that in hard and drier soil. Our results suggest that mole-rats may effectively avoid overheating in burrows by effective cooling while digging, especially in wet soil. This indicates that burrowing in soils moistened by rains could be easier than previously thought contributing thus to mole-rats success in challenging environment of subterranean burrows.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_x - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)

CEP classification

ED - Physiology

OECD FORD branch

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Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2015

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Physiology & Behavior

ISSN

0031-9384

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

138

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

6

Pages from-to

236-241

UT code for WoS article

000348882900032

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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