Thermoregulation and metabolism of Wagner's Gerbil (Gerbillus dasyurus): A rock dwelling rodent adapted to arid and mesic environments

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The nocturnal rock-dwelling gerbil (Gerbillus dasyurus) is widely distributed in the steppe deserts of the Arabian peninsula. The O2 consumption V ̇O2 of this species in the thermoneutral zone is only 64% of the V ̇O2 of a 27.6 g mammal as predicted Brody (1945). The intake of digestible dry matter is relatively low correlating with the V ̇O2 values. The thermal conductance value for G. dasyurus is similar to that predicted for a rodent with a body of 28 g (Bradley and Deavers, 1980), but lower than that measured for other rodents occurring in arid habitats (Haim, 1984). Low heat conductance compared to desert rodents and increased V ̇O2 when exposed to cold appear to be important adaptations of G. dasyurus in cold mesic environments.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)45-48
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Thermal Biology
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1987

Keywords

  • Gerbillus dasyurus
  • Oxygen consumption
  • and environments
  • thermal conductance
  • thermoregulation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Biochemistry
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
  • Developmental Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Thermoregulation and metabolism of Wagner's Gerbil (Gerbillus dasyurus): A rock dwelling rodent adapted to arid and mesic environments'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this