期刊
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
卷 67, 期 6, 页码 339-345出版社
CSIRO PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1071/ZO20036
关键词
bats; body temperature; roost; thermoregulation; torpor; tree-roosting
类别
资金
- Australian Postgraduate Award
Small insectivorous bats commonly use torpor while day-roosting, even in summer. However, reproductive female bats are believed to benefit from avoiding torpor because a constant, elevated body temperature maximises the rate of offspring growth, which could increase offspring survival. We used temperature-sensitive radio-transmitters to locate roosts and document the thermal biology of pregnant and lactating females of Nyctophilus geoffroyi (9 g) and N. gouldi (11 g) at a woodland in a cool temperate climate. Unlike males, reproductive female Nyctophilus spp. roosted as small groups (<25) within insulated tree cavities. Roost switching occurred every 3.7 +/- 1.5 (N. geoffroyi) or 1.7 +/- 0.8 days (N. gouldi), and radio- tagged individuals roosted together and apart on different days. Skin temperature during roosting was most often between 32 and 36 degrees C, and torpor was used infrequently. Male Nyctophilus have been shown in previous studies to use torpor daily during summer. These contrasting torpor patterns likely reflect the warmed cavities occupied by maternity colonies and the thermally unstable shallow crevices occupied by individual males. Our results support the hypothesis that availability of thermally suitable roosts will influence thermoregulatory patterns of reproductive females and hence the growth rates and survival of their offspring. Thus, it is important to conserve woodland habitat with trees in a range of decay stages to provide opportunities for selection and movement among roost trees by reproductive female bats.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据