Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3405
Title: | Natural Use of Heterothermy by a Small, Tree-Roosting Bat during Summer | Contributor(s): | Turbill, Christopher (author); Koertner, Gerhard (author)![]() ![]() |
Publication Date: | 2003 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3405 | Abstract: | Little is known about the use of heterothermy by wild bats during summer, especially for tree-roosting species. Because thermal conditions within tree roosts can fluctuate widely with ambient temperature, which affects thermoregulatory energy expenditure during diurnal roosting, we measured skin temperatures of free-ranging male 'Nyctophilus geoffroyi' (8 g) to quantify the relation between summer torpor use and roost thermal conditions. Bats roosted under bark on the northern (sunny) side of trees and entered torpor every day, usually near sunrise. Bats exhibited two bouts of torpor on most days: the first occurred in the morning, was terminated by partially passive rewarming, and was followed by a period of normothermy during the warmest part of the day; a second torpor bout occurred in the late afternoon, with arousal near sunset. On the warmest days, bats had only a single, short morning bout. On the coolest days, bats remained torpid throughout the day, and one 2-d bout was observed. Thus, presumably owing to their poorly insulated roosts and the high energetic cost of normothermy at temperatures below 300C, the extent and timing of heterothermy was closely related to the cycle of diurnal temperatures. Our study indicates that torpor use is important for energy maintenance during summer diurnal roosting of 'N. geoffroyi' and likely of other small, tree-roosting bats. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 76(6), p. 868-876 | Publisher: | University of Chicago Press | Place of Publication: | United States of America | ISSN: | 1537-5293 1522-2152 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 060208 Terrestrial Ecology | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 969999 Environment not elsewhere classified | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal | Publisher/associated links: | http://www.jstor.org/stable/30158081 |
---|---|
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Environmental and Rural Science |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format |
---|
Page view(s)
1,006
checked on Mar 8, 2023
Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.