Geographical variation in the standard physiology of brushtail possums (Trichosurus): implications for conservation translocations

Cooper, Christine; Withers, Philip C.; Munns, Suzanne L.; Geiser, Fritz; Buttemer, William A.

doi:10.1093/conphys/coy042

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Evaporative heat dissipation, typically by respiratory or cutaneous water loss, is the main cooling mechanism at warm Ta and the only one when Ta is higher than Tb (although mice can groom saliva onto skin, this indicates severe heat stress and mice do not routinely use evaporative heat loss) (Adolph, 1947;Hainsworth, 1967;Perissin et al, 2000;Roberts et al, 1974;Szymusiak and Satinoff, 1981). However, increases in evaporative heat loss, metabolic rate, and Tb may each start at different Tas (Baldo et al, 2015;Cooper et al, 2018;McKechnie et al, 2017;O'Connor et al, 2017;Talbot et al, 2017). Humans increase evaporative loss at a lower Ta than the rise in metabolic rate and Tb (Gagge et al, 1967;Hardy and Du Bois, 1940).…”

Section: Tnz Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mouse Thermoregulation: Introducing the Concept of the Thermoneutral Point

et al. 2020

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Section: Tnz Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mouse Thermoregulation: Introducing the Concept of the Thermoneutral Point

et al. 2020

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“…The question that remains to be answered is whether individuals that previously did not encounter extreme climatic events, or local climatic changes, are able to apply thermal strategies to adjust to new environmental conditions. Resolving these questions is important in light of climatic changes that are expected to change local conditions for populations, but also for translocation conservation programs (Cooper et al, 2018), which need to consider the physiological limits of introduced species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterothermy in a Small Passerine: Eastern Yellow Robins Use Nocturnal Torpor in Winter

et al. 2021

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Torpor is a controlled reduction of metabolism and body temperature, and its appropriate use allows small birds to adapt to and survive challenging conditions. However, despite its great energy conservation potential, torpor use by passerine birds is understudied although they are small and comprise over half of extant bird species. Here, we first determined whether a free-living, small ∼20 g Australian passerine, the eastern yellow robin (Eopsaltria australis), expresses torpor by measuring skin temperature (Ts) as a proxy for body temperature. Second, we tested if skin temperature fluctuated in relation to ambient temperature (Ta). We found that the Ts of eastern yellow robins fluctuated during winter by 9.1 ± 3.9°C on average (average minimum Ts 30.1 ± 2.3°C), providing the first evidence of torpor expression in this species. Daily minimum Ts decreased with Ta, reducing the estimated metabolic rate by as much as 32%. We hope that our results will encourage further studies to expand our knowledge on the use of torpor in wild passerines. The implications of such studies are important because species with highly flexible energy requirements may have an advantage over strict homeotherms during the current increasing frequency of extreme and unpredictable weather events, driven by changing climate.

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“…Thus, appropriate selection criteria for specific physiological attributes, including body condition and others, such as tolerance to climate conditions at the release location (e.g. Cooper et al, 2018), will vary with the particulars of conservation translocation schemes. What remains consistent is that information about the relationships between those parameters and fitness, and measuring them in candidates for translocation as well as source and destination populations at large will improve the design of translocations and unbiased assessment of their efficacy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation translocations of Hawaiian monk seals: accounting for variability in body condition improves evaluation of translocation efficacy

Baker

Barbieri

Johanos

et al. 2020

Animal Conservation

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To assess the efficacy of conservation translocations, survival of released individuals is typically compared to that of control groups. Such comparisons assume that treatment groups consist of otherwise equivalent individuals. When that assumption is unmet, incorporating physiological parameters may improve assessment of translocation programs. During 2012-2014, 19 weaned female Hawaiian monk seal pups were translocated to sites where survival prospects were expected to be more favorable than at their natal locations. We compared survival from weaning to age two years of translocated pups to two control groups; pups remaining at source sites and pups native to destination sites. To account for the known relationship between weaning girth and survival, we generated probability distributions of the number of survivors at source and destination sites given the weaning girths of translocated seals. Data were available to calculate girth-adjusted survival probabilities for 13 of the translocated pups. Of these, we estimated that only one pup would have been expected to have survived had the translocated pups remained at their natal site. Seven of the 13 translocated seals survived, a value just below the median (eight) expected to have survived at the destination site. Thus, translocation substantially improved survival. Had we not accounted for weaning girth effects on survival, we would have erroneously concluded that the translocation program had yielded no survival benefit. Identifying and integrating correlates of survival into quantitative analyses associated with conservation translocations can reduce bias and lead to greater success.

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Geographical variation in the standard physiology of brushtail possums (Trichosurus): implications for conservation translocations

Cited by 25 publications

References 65 publications

Mouse Thermoregulation: Introducing the Concept of the Thermoneutral Point

Mouse Thermoregulation: Introducing the Concept of the Thermoneutral Point

Heterothermy in a Small Passerine: Eastern Yellow Robins Use Nocturnal Torpor in Winter

Conservation translocations of Hawaiian monk seals: accounting for variability in body condition improves evaluation of translocation efficacy

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