Flexibility of Digestive Tract Morphology in Response to Environmental Conditions in the Large Japanese Field Mouse<i>Apodemus speciosus</i>

Eto, Takeshi; Ozaki, Ryousuke; Kato, Go; Sakamoto, Shinsuke H.; Koshimoto, Chihiro; Morita, Tetsuo

doi:10.3106/041.041.0204

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Previous studies have suggested that consumption of PSMs in cold conditions may have thermoregulatory benefits for wild mammals as the heat generated by the metabolism of toxins in the liver may help to maintain core temperature (Dearing, ; Forbey et al, ; McLister, Sorensen, & Dearing, ). Conversely, changes induced by lower temperatures, such as changes to digestive tract morphology (Eto et al, ; Hammond & Wunder, ) or increased enzyme production (Connors et al, ), may act to improve tannin tolerance. There is a natural link between acorn predation and cold ambient temperature, where tannin‐rich acorns become the dominant food source over winter and an animal's ability to consume acorns and tolerate tannins may determine their winter survival and reproduction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Cold temperature improves tannin tolerance in a granivorous rodent

Windley

Shimada

2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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The foraging ecology of mammalian herbivores is regulated in part by their ability to detoxify plant secondary metabolites (PSM). Ambient temperature has been shown to alter liver function in rodents and the toxicity of some PSMs, but little is known about the physiological and nutritional consequences of consuming PSMs at different ambient temperatures. Furthermore, the effect of ambient temperature on the response of mammals to the most ubiquitous class of PSM, tannins, is unknown. We measured the effect of temperature and tannin intake on liver function, and the subsequent effect on the tannin tolerance of wild Japanese wood mice, Apodemus speciosus. The experiment involved acclimation to one of two ambient temperatures (10°C or 20°C) followed by acclimation to a diet of acorns (6.2% tannin DW). Liver function was measured both before and after acclimation to acorns by measuring the clearance time of a hypnotic agent. Finally, the mice were fed only acorns in a 5‐day feeding experiment to assess their tolerance to tannin in the diet. Acclimation to acorns had a significant effect on liver function, but the direction of this effect was dependent on ambient temperature. Acorn consumption improved the liver function of wood mice at 10°C, but reduced liver function at 20°C, revealing a complex relationship between ambient temperature and tannin intake on liver function. Furthermore, mice with better liver function, indicated by faster clearance of the hypnotic agent, exhibited higher protein digestibility on an acorn‐only diet, indicative of higher tannin tolerance. These results suggest that environmental temperature plays a significant role in the tolerance of A. speciosus to tannins, providing new insight into their seasonal feeding behaviour and winter ecology. We contend that cold‐induced tannin tolerance may help to explain the population dynamics of mammalian herbivores with seasonal changes in the tannin content of their diet, and inform predictions about the response of these animals to a changing climate.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Cold temperature improves tannin tolerance in a granivorous rodent

Windley

Shimada

2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…To allow for the effects of individual body size on GIT morphology, the gastrointestinal organ weight and length were calculated per body weight as the gastrointestinal organ index and relative length of GIT, respectively [ 34 , 35 ], as follows:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Complex and Well-Developed Morphological and Histological Structures of the Gastrointestinal Tract of the Plateau Zokor Improve Its Digestive Adaptability to High-Fiber Foods

Cai

Bao

et al. 2022

Animals

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The morphological and histological traits of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) enable the animal to perform some specific functions that enhance the species’ adaptability to environments. The plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) is a subterranean rodent that mainly forages on plant roots in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, but little is known about the mechanism by which the plateau zokor digests roots that have high fiber contents. In this study, we used comparative anatomy methods to compare the morphological and histological traits of the GIT of both the plateau zokor and the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae), a small, fossorial lagomorph that forages aboveground plant parts, in order to clarify the traits of the plateau zokor’s GIT and to understand its adaptations to high-fiber foods. The results showed that the foods which plateau zokors eat have a higher fiber content than those which the plateau pikas eat. The plateau zokor has a double-chambered and hemi-glandular stomach (the tubular glands are only in the gastric corpus II, and the gastric fundus is keratinized), whereas the plateau pika has a simple, wholly glandular stomach. The gross morphological indicators (organ index and relative length) of the GIT were significantly lower in the plateau zokor than they were in the plateau pika (p < 0.001). However, the thickness of the gastric corpus II mucosal layer and the gastric fundus muscle layer are significantly higher in the plateau zokor than they are in the plateau pika (p < 0.001), and the thickness of each layer of intestinal tissue is higher in the plateau zokor than it is in the plateau pika. Additionally, the small intestinal villi also are higher and wider in the plateau zokor than they are in the plateau pika. Our results suggest that instead of adapting to digest the high-fiber diet by expanding the size of the GIT, the plateau zokor has evolved a complex stomach and a well-developed gastrointestinal histological structure, and that these specialized GIT structures are consistent with an optimal energy-economy evolutionary adaptation strategy.

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“…However, this rather indirect mechanism to increase energy yield is considered to be a side effect of the acclimation process, with less importance for the hamsters when compared with other rodent species. The closely related Phodopus roborowski (Chi and Wang, 2011) or representatives of the genera Apodemus (Eto et al, 2016;Zhu et al, 2011), Peromyscus and Microtus show higher absolute intestinal lengths in winter than in summer (Derting and Noakes, 1995;Green and Millar, 1987;Hammond, 1993). Additionally, these taxa had a higher absolute small intestine mass under winter conditions, which is a more reliable estimate for changes in nutrient resorption capacity (Hammond and Wunder, 1995).…”

Section: Seasonal Acclimation Of Small Intestine In Response To Short Photoperiodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, a comparison of intestinal acclimation between hibernators and daily heterotherms would require a more comprehensive data set of internal and external factors, which emphasizes that daily torpor is more than just a short form of hibernation (Ruf and Geiser, 2015). The complexity and diversity of seasonal acclimatization strategies becomes apparent once again when regarding species such as Phodopus roborovskii, Apodemus speciosus and Peromyscus leucopus, which are capable of torpor expression (Eto et al, 2014;Tannenbaum and Pivorun, 1988;Chi et al, 2016), but increase their intestinal tissue during winter acclimatization (Chi and Wang, 2011;Derting and Noakes, 1995;Eto et al, 2016;Zhu et al, 2011;Green and Millar, 1987).…”

Section: Seasonal Acclimation Of Small Intestine and Spontaneous Daily Torpor Expressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acclimation of intestinal morphology and function in djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) related to seasonal and acute energy balance

Piscitiello

Herwig

Haugg

et al. 2020

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Small mammals exhibit seasonal changes in intestinal morphology and function via increased intestine size and resorptive surface and/or nutrient transport capacity to increase energy yield from food during winter. This study investigated whether seasonal or acute acclimation to anticipated or actual energetic challenges in Djungarian hamsters also resulted in higher nutrient resorption capacities due to changes in small intestine histology and physiology. The hamsters show numerous seasonal energy saving adjustments in response to short photoperiod. As spontaneous daily torpor represents one of these adjustments related to food quality and quantity, it was hypothesized that the hamsters’ variable torpor expression patterns are influenced by their individual nutrient uptake capacity. Hamsters under short photoperiod showed longer small intestines and higher mucosal electrogenic transport capacities for glucose relative to body mass. Similar observations were made in hamsters under long photoperiod and food restriction. However, this acute energetic challenge caused a stronger increase of glucose transport capacity. Apart from that, neither fasting-induced torpor in food-restricted hamsters nor spontaneous daily torpor in short photoperiod-exposed hamsters clearly correlated with mucosal glucose transport capacity.Both seasonally anticipated and acute energetic challenges caused adjustments in the hamsters’ small intestine. Short photoperiod appeared to induce an integration of these and other acclimation processes in relation to body mass to achieve a long-term adjustment of energy balance. Food restriction seemed to result in a more flexible, short-term strategy of maximizing energy uptake possibly via mucosal glucose transport and reducing energy consumption via torpor expression as emergency response.

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Flexibility of Digestive Tract Morphology in Response to Environmental Conditions in the Large Japanese Field MouseApodemus speciosus

Cited by 6 publications

References 17 publications

Cold temperature improves tannin tolerance in a granivorous rodent

Cold temperature improves tannin tolerance in a granivorous rodent

The Complex and Well-Developed Morphological and Histological Structures of the Gastrointestinal Tract of the Plateau Zokor Improve Its Digestive Adaptability to High-Fiber Foods

Acclimation of intestinal morphology and function in djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) related to seasonal and acute energy balance

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