Body mass is associated with hibernation length, body temperature, and heart rate in free-ranging brown bears ...

• Main Authors: Evans, Alina L., Fuchs, Boris, Singh, Navinder J., Thiel, Alexandra, Giroud, Sylvain, Blanc, Stephane, Laske, Timothy G., Frobert, Ole, Friebe, Andrea, Swenson, Jon E., Arnemo, Jon M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: figshare 2023
• Subjects: Biophysics; Neuroscience; Physiology; FOS Biological sciences; Evolutionary Biology; Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified; Ecology; Cancer; Cardiology; Ursus arctos
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6792974; https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/Body_mass_is_associated_with_hibernation_length_body_temperature_and_heart_rate_in_free-ranging_brown_bears/6792974

Abstract Background Despite centuries of research, debate remains on the scaling of metabolic rate to mass especially for intraspecific cases. The high variation of body mass within brown bears presents a unique opportunity to study the intraspecific effects of body mass on physiological variables. The amplitude of metabolic rate reduction in hibernators is dependent on body mass of the species. Small hibernators have high metabolic rates when euthermic but experience a drastic decrease in body temperature during torpor, which is necessary to reach a very low metabolic rate. Conversely, large hibernators, such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos), show a moderate decrease in temperature during hibernation, thought to be related to the bear’s large size. We studied body mass, abdominal body temperature, heart rate, and accelerometer-derived activity from 63 free-ranging brown bears (1–15 years old, 15–233 kg). We tested for relationships between body mass and body temperature, heart rate, and hibernation ...