Temporal partitioning among diurnally and nocturnally active desert spiny mice: Energy and water turnover costs

N. Kronfeld-Schor*, E. Shargal, A. Haim, T. Dayan, N. Zisapel, G. Heldmaier

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nocturnal Acomys cahirinus and diurnally active A. russatus coexist in hot rocky deserts. Diurnal and nocturnal activity exposes them to different climatic challenges. A doubly-labelled water field study revealed no significant differences in water turnover between the species at all seasons, reflecting the adaptations of A. russatus to water conservation. In summers the energy expenditure of A. russatus tended to be higher than that of A. cahirinus. Energy requirements of A. cahirinus in winter are double than that of A. russatus, and may reflect the cost of thermoregulating during cold nights.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)139-142
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Thermal Biology
Volume26
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

Funding

FundersFunder number
German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and DevelopmentI-264-203.11/92

    Keywords

    • Acomys
    • Desert
    • Energy expenditure
    • Temporal partitioning
    • Water turnover

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Temporal partitioning among diurnally and nocturnally active desert spiny mice: Energy and water turnover costs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this