Journal article
Seasonality of torpor patterns and physiological variables of a free-ranging subtropical bat
Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol.213(3), pp.393-399
2010
PMID: 20086123
Abstract
Seasonal changes in weather and food availability differ vastly between temperate and subtropical climates, yet knowledge on how free-ranging subtropical insectivorous bats cope with such changes is limited. We quantified ambient temperatures, torpor patterns and thermal physiology of subtropical insectivorous northern long-eared bats, Nyctophilus bifax, during summer (n=13) and winter (n=8) by temperature telemetry. As predicted, ambient conditions varied significantly between seasons, with warmer weather during summer. All bats used torpor on 85% of observation days during summer in comparison to 100% during winter. During summer, patterns of torpor varied and the duration of torpor bouts was not significantly affected by ambient temperature, whereas during winter torpor bout duration was negatively correlated with mean ambient temperature. Mean torpor bout duration in summer was 3.2 +/- 1.3 h and in winter was 26.8 +/- 11.3 h . Mean arousal time during summer was in the early afternoon and during winter in the late afternoon, and throughout both seasons arousals for possible foraging periods occurred near sunset. Skin temperature was positively correlated with ambient temperatures in both seasons, but the relationship differed between seasons. We show that torpor is used regularly throughout the year in a free-ranging subtropical bat and provide the first evidence demonstrating that torpor patterns and thermal physiology change with season.
Details
- Title
- Seasonality of torpor patterns and physiological variables of a free-ranging subtropical bat
- Authors
- Clare Stawski (Author) - University of New EnglandF. Geiser (Author) - University of New England
- Publication details
- Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol.213(3), pp.393-399
- Publisher
- The Company of Biologists Ltd.
- Date published
- 2010
- DOI
- 10.1242/jeb.038224
- ISSN
- 1477-9145; 0022-0949
- PMID
- 20086123
- Grant note
- University of New England / Australian Research Council / Bat Conservation International
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99678997502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
43 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biology
- Zoology
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites