Determinantes da resposta termofílica pós-prandial em Crotalus durissus terrificus (Squamata: Viperidae)
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Data
2012-12-19
Autores
Fuga, Adriana [UNESP]
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Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
Resumo
Virtualmente todos os processos biológicos são influenciados pela temperatura. Desta forma, os animais, em geral, investem tempo e energia para regular a temperatura corpórea (Tc) ao passo que os animais ectotérmicos, em particular, têm sua biologia fortemente moldada pela termorregulação comportamental. No caso das serpentes o desempenho em cada atividade em particular pode ser otimizado ou prejudicado em diferentes temperaturas. Como consequência, serpentes podem alterar a temperatura corpórea selecionada com base no tipo de atividade que está sendo exercida no momento e de acordo com a disponibilidade térmica do ambiente. Um exemplo bem conhecido é a seleção de micro-habitats com temperatura mais elevada levando a um aumento significativo da Tc após a ingestão do alimento, comportamento referido como “resposta termofílica pós-prandial”. Este aumento da Tc sabidamente acelera a digestão e, possivelmente, traz beneficios no orçamento de tempo e energia das serpentes. No entanto, a busca de sitios térmicos mais propícios deve acarretar em custos e riscos, especialmente em serpentes recentemente alimentadas que tem a capacidade de locomoção reduzida e, portanto, poderia torná-las mais vulneráveis à predação. Como as serpentes solucionam este conflito entre os benefícios providos por um aumento da Tc durante a digestão do alimento e os riscos envolvidos com a termorregulação é, atualmente, ignorado. Desta forma, o objetivo do presente estudo foi documentar a resposta termofílica pós-prandial da cascavel, Crotalus durissus terrificus, em condições de laboratório, disponibilizando ou não abrigos (tocas) em um gradiente térmico. Nossos resultados permitem concluir que C. d. terrificus apresenta um ciclo circadiano de variação da Tc, com temperaturas mais altas registradas no final da tarde e início da noite...
Virtually all biological processes are influenced by temperature. Thus, animals generally invest time and energy to regulate body temperature (Tc) while ectotherms, in particular, have their biology strongly shaped by behavioral thermoregulation. In snakes, performance in each particular activity can be enhanced or impaired at different temperatures. Consequently, snakes can alter body temperature selected based on the type of activity being carried out at the time and according to the availability of the thermal environment. A well-known example is the selection of micro-habitats with higher temperature leads to a significant increase in Tc after ingestion of food, behavior referred to as “post-prandial thermophilic response. This increase of Tc accelerates digestion and possibly brings benefits in the budget of time and energy of snakes. However, the search for thermal sites should result in more favorable costs and risks, especially recently fed into serpents which is capable of locomotion reduced and therefore could make them more vulnerable to predators. As snakes resolve this conflict between the benefits provided by an increase in Tc during the digestion of food and the risks involved with thermoregulation is currently ignored. Thus, the objective of this study was to document the post-prandial thermophilic response of rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus terrificus, under laboratory conditions, offering or not shelters (burrows) in a thermal gradient. Our results suggest that C. d. terrificus has a circadian variation of Tc with higher temperatures recorded in the late afternoon and early evening. The feed caused an increase in mean body temperature of C. d. terrificus and this increase was primarily due to an increase in minimum temperatures in the early days of digestion. With the availability of shelters, the thermoregulatory behavior... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Virtually all biological processes are influenced by temperature. Thus, animals generally invest time and energy to regulate body temperature (Tc) while ectotherms, in particular, have their biology strongly shaped by behavioral thermoregulation. In snakes, performance in each particular activity can be enhanced or impaired at different temperatures. Consequently, snakes can alter body temperature selected based on the type of activity being carried out at the time and according to the availability of the thermal environment. A well-known example is the selection of micro-habitats with higher temperature leads to a significant increase in Tc after ingestion of food, behavior referred to as “post-prandial thermophilic response. This increase of Tc accelerates digestion and possibly brings benefits in the budget of time and energy of snakes. However, the search for thermal sites should result in more favorable costs and risks, especially recently fed into serpents which is capable of locomotion reduced and therefore could make them more vulnerable to predators. As snakes resolve this conflict between the benefits provided by an increase in Tc during the digestion of food and the risks involved with thermoregulation is currently ignored. Thus, the objective of this study was to document the post-prandial thermophilic response of rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus terrificus, under laboratory conditions, offering or not shelters (burrows) in a thermal gradient. Our results suggest that C. d. terrificus has a circadian variation of Tc with higher temperatures recorded in the late afternoon and early evening. The feed caused an increase in mean body temperature of C. d. terrificus and this increase was primarily due to an increase in minimum temperatures in the early days of digestion. With the availability of shelters, the thermoregulatory behavior... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Reptiles, Corpo - Temperatura - Regulação, Reptil, Cobra, Cobra - Abrigo natural, Adaptação (Fisiologia)
Como citar
FUGA, Adriana. Determinantes da resposta termofílica pós-prandial em Crotalus durissus terrificus (Squamata: Viperidae). 2012. 55 f. Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências de Rio Claro, 2012.