Was basking important in the evolution of mammalian endothermy?

Title
Was basking important in the evolution of mammalian endothermy?
Publication Date
2002
Author(s)
Geiser, F
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7621-5049
Email: fgeiser@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:fgeiser
Goodship, N
Pavey, CR
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Springer
Place of publication
Germany
DOI
10.1007/s00114-002-0349-4
UNE publication id
une:11
Abstract
The first mammals were small, nocturnal, and presumably had low metabolic rates and were therefore probably unable to maintain a constant high body temperature throughout cool nights. How these animals, without sufficient heat production for endogenous rewarming, were able to become warm and active again before the next activity period remains unresolved. However, we discovered that, similar to reptiles, the carnivorous marsupial mammal Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis (body mass 30.8-5.0 g) uses the morning sun to rewarm from low (26.3-4.5°C) body temperatures during torpor. Our findings provide the first evidence of basking during rewarming from torpor in mammals and may provide an alternative explanation as to how ancestral mammals could have become nocturnal to avoid diurnal predators despite their small size and a low endogenous heat production.
Link
Citation
Naturwissenschaften, 89(9), p. 412-414
ISSN
1432-1904
0028-1042
Start page
412
End page
414

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