This study investigates how hibernation affects the surface activity of pulmonary surfactant with respect to temperature and breathing pattern. Surfactant was isolated from a hibernating species, the 13-lined ground squirrel, and a homeotherm, rabbit, and analyzed for biophysical properties on a constrained sessile drop surfactometer. The results showed that surfactant from ground squirrels reduced surface […]
Animals frequently experience temperature fluctuations in their natural life cycle, including periods of low temperatures below their activity range. For example, poikilothermic animals are known to enter a hibernation-like state called brumation during transient cooling. However, the knowledge regarding the physiological responses of brumation is limited. Specifically, the impact of exposure to low-temperature conditions outside […]
The gut microbiome is essential for maintaining organismal health. Gut microbiota may be disrupted through external factors like dietary change, which can lead to gut inflammation resulting in obesity. Hibernating mammals develop low-grade gut inflammation when they accumulate fat deposits in preparation for hibernation, making them useful models for studying the relationship between the microbiome, […]
Photoperiodic time measurement is the ability of plants and animals to measure differences in day versus night length (photoperiod) and use that information to anticipate critical seasonal transformations, such as annual temperature cycles. This timekeeping phenomenon triggers adaptive responses in higher organisms, such as gonadal stimulation, flowering, and hibernation. Unexpectedly, we observed this capability in […]
Energy conservation associated with hibernation is maximized at the intersection of low body temperature (T(b)), long torpor bouts, and few interbout arousals. In the arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii), energy conservation during hibernation is best achieved at ambient temperatures (T(a)) around 0 °C; however, they spend the majority of hibernation at considerably lower T(a). Because […]