Heterothermy is associated with reduced fitness in wild rabbits
Open accessAbstract
An increase in variation in the 24 h pattern of body temperature (heterothermy) in mammals can be induced by energy and water deficits. Since performance traits such as growth and reproduction also are impacted by energy and water balance, we investigated whether the characteristics of the body temperature rhythm provide an indication of the reproductive success of an individual. We show that the amplitude of the daily rhythm of body temperature in wild rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) prior to breeding is inversely related to the number of pregnancies in the subsequent seven months, while the minimum daily body temperature is positively correlated to the number of pregnancies. Because reproductive output could be predicted from characteristics of the core body temperature rhythm prior to the breeding season, we propose that the pattern of the 24 h body temperature rhythm could provide an index of animal fitness in a given environment.
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The amplitude of the 24-h rhythm of body temperature has been proposed as a proxy for the physiological welfare of mammals, with many mammals exhibiting homeothermy only when they have sufficient food and water and are not energetically challenged.
“The amplitude of the 24-h rhythm of body temperature has been proposed as a proxy for the physiological welfare of mammals (Hetem et al., 2016; Maloney et al., 2017; Maloney et al., 2019), with many mammals exhibiting homeothermy only when they have sufficient food and water and are not energetically challenged.”
From Temminck’s pangolins relax the precision of body temperature regulation when resources are scarce in a semi-arid environment (2023) · cites this paper as Maloney et al., 2017
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Panaino, W., Parrini, F., Kamerman, P. R., Hetem, R. S., Meyer, L. C. R., Smith, D., van Dyk, G., & Fuller, A. (2023) · Conservation Physiology · doi:10.1093/conphys/coad068 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Maloney, S. K., Marsh, M. K., McLeod, S. R., & Fuller, A.
- Affiliations
- The University of Western Australia (AU)
- University of York (GB)
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (AU)
- University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)
- Corresponding author
- Maloney, Shane K.
- Venue
- Biology Letters
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2017-12
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 20170521
- ISSN
- 1744-9561 (ISSN-L)
- 1744-957X
- PMC
- PMC5746534
- OpenAlex
- W2775203821
- Cited by
- 23
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 1.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Biology Letters (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- University of York
- The Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia
- The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre
- The Bureau of Rural Sciences
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- heterothermy, core body temperature, reproductive success, physical fitness index, wild rabbits, rabbits, water-energy balance, seasonal reproduction
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Body Temperature Regulation, Circadian Rhythm, Female, New South Wales, Pregnancy, Rabbits, Reproduction, Genetic Fitness
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