Interação entre fisiologia termal e balanço de água em Rhinella schneideri (Anura, Bufonidae)
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Data
2017-08-09
Autores
Anderson, Rodolfo César de Oliveira [UNESP]
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Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
Resumo
Devido à alta permeabilidade da pele e a ectotermia, anfíbios terrestres são confrontados por compromissos envolvendo o balanço de água e a regulação da temperatura corpórea. O modo como tais compromissos são acomodados, sobre uma extenção de temperaturas e estados de hidratação, influencia importantemente o comportamento e a ecologia desses animais. Nesse contexto, usando o anfíbio terrestre Rhinella schneideri como organismo modelo, os objetivos do presente estudo foram duplos. Primeiramente, nós determinamos como a sensibilidade termal de uma característica ecologicamente relevante – a locomoção – é afetada pela desidratação. Além disso, nós examinamos os efeitos dos mesmos níveis de desidratação na preferência termal e na tolerância termal. A medida que a desidratação se torna mais severa, as temperaturas ótimas para o desempenho locomotor diminuíram e a amplitude de temperaturas para um desempenho próximo ao máximo se estreitou. Semelhantemente, a desidratação foi acompanhada por uma diminuição da amplitude de tolerância termal. Tal declínio foi causado pelo aumento da temperatura crítica mínima e pela diminuição da temperatura crítica máxima, com este último mudando de modo mais acentuado. Em geral, nossos resultados mostram que os efeitos negativos da desidratação no desempenho comportamental e na tolerância termal são, ao menos parcialmente, amenizados pelo simultâneo ajuste na preferência termal. Nós discutimos algumas potenciais implicações dessa observação para a conservação dos anfíbios anuros.
Due to their highly permeable skin and ectothermy, terrestrial amphibians are challenged by compromises between water balance and body temperature regulation. The way in which such compromises are accommodated, under a range of temperatures and dehydration levels, impact importantly the behavior and ecology of amphibians. Thus, using the terrestrial toad Rhinella schneideri as a model organism, the goals of the present study were two-fold. First, we determined how the thermal sensitivity of a centrally relevant trait – locomotion – was affected by dehydration. Secondly, we examined the effects of the same levels of dehydration on thermal preference and thermal tolerance. As dehydration becomes more severe, the optimal temperature for locomotor performance was lowered and performance breadth narrower. Similarly, dehydration was accompanied by a decrease in the thermal tolerance range. Such a decrease was caused by both, an increase in the critical minimal temperature and a decrease in the thermal maximal temperature, with the latter changing more markedly. In general, our results show that the negative effects of dehydration on behavioral performance and thermal tolerance are, at least partially, counteracted by concurrent adjustments in thermal preference. We discuss some of the potential implications of this observation for the conservation of anuran amphibians.
Due to their highly permeable skin and ectothermy, terrestrial amphibians are challenged by compromises between water balance and body temperature regulation. The way in which such compromises are accommodated, under a range of temperatures and dehydration levels, impact importantly the behavior and ecology of amphibians. Thus, using the terrestrial toad Rhinella schneideri as a model organism, the goals of the present study were two-fold. First, we determined how the thermal sensitivity of a centrally relevant trait – locomotion – was affected by dehydration. Secondly, we examined the effects of the same levels of dehydration on thermal preference and thermal tolerance. As dehydration becomes more severe, the optimal temperature for locomotor performance was lowered and performance breadth narrower. Similarly, dehydration was accompanied by a decrease in the thermal tolerance range. Such a decrease was caused by both, an increase in the critical minimal temperature and a decrease in the thermal maximal temperature, with the latter changing more markedly. In general, our results show that the negative effects of dehydration on behavioral performance and thermal tolerance are, at least partially, counteracted by concurrent adjustments in thermal preference. We discuss some of the potential implications of this observation for the conservation of anuran amphibians.
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Temperatura preferida, Bufonidae, Temperaturas ótimas, Temperaturas críticas, Intervalo de tolerância, Preferred body temperatures, Optimal temperatures, Critical temperatures, Tolerance range