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

• 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

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.