Preparing for hibernation in ground squirrels: Adrenal androgen production in summer linked to environmental severity in winter

1. At high latitudes, evolutionary adaptations focus on those that maximize survival, with hibernation being a major one used by many smaller mammals. Typically, mammalian hibernators overwinter in sites that are approximate to 0 degrees C. However, in arctic regions, such sites do not exist, necess...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Functional Ecology
Main Authors: Boonstra, Rudy, Bradley, Adrian J., Delehanty, Brendan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing 2011
Subjects:
Arctic climate
Adrenal androgens
Anabolic steroids
Hibernation
Muscle anabolism and catabolism
Seasonal reproductive status
Body-composition
Seasonal-changes
Annual cycle
Testosterone
Behavior
Rat
Metabolism
Stress
Spermophilus
Temperatures
1105 Ecology
Evolution
Behavior and Systematics
Arctic
Online Access:https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:264153
Description
Summary:1. At high latitudes, evolutionary adaptations focus on those that maximize survival, with hibernation being a major one used by many smaller mammals. Typically, mammalian hibernators overwinter in sites that are approximate to 0 degrees C. However, in arctic regions, such sites do not exist, necessitating hibernation at sites well below 0 degrees C. Lipid, the normal fuel of most hibernators, may not provide sufficient glucose needed by certain tissues to permit survival, with muscle breakdown being required. Critical to enhancing muscle stores are high concentrations of anabolic androgens prior to hibernation when the gonads are inactive.

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