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Seasonal changes in body mass, energy intake and thermogenesis in Maximowiczi’s voles (Microtus maximowiczii) from the Inner Mongolian grassland

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Abstract

Small mammals inhabiting temperate and arctic regions exhibit annual adaptive adjustments in physiology, anatomy, and behavior. No data on the physiology of Maximowicz’s voles (Microtus maximowiczii) are available at present. Here we examined the seasonal changes in body mass, food intake, thermogenic capacity, serum leptin and thyroid hormone levels in wild-captured individuals from Inner Mongolian grassland, China. We further examined the effects of photoperiod on these parameters. Energy intake, resting metabolic rate, nonshivering thermogenesis (NST), and serum tri-iodothyronine (T3) levels increased while serum leptin and body mass decreased in the cold seasons. Serum T3 levels were positively correlated with NST and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) contents in brown adipose tissue, and leptin levels were negatively correlated with energy intake and resting metabolic rate. Furthermore, laboratory data showed these changes could be induced by short photoperiod alone. Taken together, our results indicate that Maximowicz’s voles can increase thermogenic capacity and energy intake to cope with cold stress. Serum leptin seems to be involved in the regulation of energy intake and changes in T3 level may be important for the variations in NST and/or UCP1. Short photoperiod can serve as a seasonal cue for the winter acclimatization of energy balance in free-living Maximowicz’s voles.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks go to Dr. Gregory E. Steinbaugh for help to improve the language of the paper. Thanks to all the members of Animal Physiological Ecology Group of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for their help with the experiments and helpful discussions. This study was supported by grants from National Science Foundation of China (30625009) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-EW-N-005) to DHW.

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management for Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100101, China

    Jing-Feng Chen, Wen-Qin Zhong & De-Hua Wang

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  1. Jing-Feng Chen
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  2. Wen-Qin Zhong
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  3. De-Hua Wang
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Correspondence to De-Hua Wang.

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Communicated by G. Heldmaier.

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Chen, JF., Zhong, WQ. & Wang, DH. Seasonal changes in body mass, energy intake and thermogenesis in Maximowiczi’s voles (Microtus maximowiczii) from the Inner Mongolian grassland. J Comp Physiol B 182, 275–285 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-011-0608-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-011-0608-9

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