Together or alone? Huddling energetic savings in three social mole-rat species of genus Fukomys. A dispersal perspective
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12310%2F22%3A43905116" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12310/22:43905116 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306456522001991?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306456522001991?via%3Dihub</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103385" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103385</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Together or alone? Huddling energetic savings in three social mole-rat species of genus Fukomys. A dispersal perspective
Original language description
African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) are strictly subterranean rodents distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the soil layer provides a temperature buffer, the temperature in their burrows is usually below their thermo-neutral zone and thermogenesis is necessary to maintain a stable body temperature. In social bathyergids, an important mechanism for decreasing the thermoregulatory cost is social thermoregulation in the form of hud-dling. The effect of huddling may be of special importance during forming of a new family as only two adults are present and social species are known for higher heat losses from their bodies compared to solitary mole-rats. In our study, we measured the resting metabolic rate and energetic saving in three social bathyergid species which differ in body size. We compared animals that were housed individually and in pairs at two different ambient temperatures (Ta). At a temperature within their TNZ (Ta = 30 degrees C), no energetic savings were expected, whereas in Ta = 20 degrees C we expected energetic savings due to huddling. We found no energetic savings at 30 degrees C in any of the species, but almost 20% in the two small bodied Fukomys species F. micklemi and F. anselli at 20 degrees C. In the largest species, F. mechowii, no significant energetic savings were observed. Our results confirm the importance of huddling for the energetic balance of social mole-rats and show that huddling with one partner can bring substantial energetic savings, which can be allocated to other activities such as extension of established burrow systems or reproduction to increase the workforce and fulfill the purpose of dispersal.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10613 - Zoology
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/GA17-19896S" target="_blank" >GA17-19896S: Problems and solutions of thermoregulation in subterranean mammals</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2022
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Journal of Thermal Biology
ISSN
0306-4565
e-ISSN
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Volume of the periodical
110
Issue of the periodical within the volume
DEC 2022
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
6
Pages from-to
nestrankovano
UT code for WoS article
000885948700002
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85141479503