Abstract
Many small desert dasyurids employ torpor almost daily during winter, because cold nights and low food availability impose high energetic costs. However, in Western Australia the arid zone extends into tropical, coastal regions, where winter temperature conditions are far less severe. We studied the thermal biology and activity patterns of free-ranging kaluta (~27 g), a dasyurid restricted to these tropical spinifex deserts, during the Austral winter (June–July) and in addition quantified activity patterns in captivity. Unlike most dasyurids, wild and captive kalutas were almost exclusively diurnal and retreated into underground burrows during the night. Despite being active during the warmer part of the day, kalutas entered torpor daily. However, torpor patterns differed remarkably between males and females. While females spent most of the night torpid at body temperatures (T b) as low as 21°C, close to soil temperature, males entered multiple short and shallow bouts (T b > 25°C) during the night. Males also maintained higher T bs during the early morning when active, occupied larger home ranges and covered greater distances while foraging than females. Hence, males appear to expend more energy than the similar-sized females both while foraging and during the rest phase. We propose that physiological as well as behavioural preparations for the September mating season that culminate in a complete male die-off might already impose energetic costs on males during winter.
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Acknowledgments
The study was conducted under permits form the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation and University of New England (UNE) Animal Ethics Committee. The study was supported by the Australian Research Council. Christine Cooper and Phil Withers helped with some of the radio-tracking and also provided the captive kalutas. Alexander Riek assisted with SAS based statistical procedures.
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Communicated by I. D. Hume.
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Körtner, G., Rojas, A.D. & Geiser, F. Thermal biology, torpor use and activity patterns of a small diurnal marsupial from a tropical desert: sexual differences. J Comp Physiol B 180, 869–876 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-010-0459-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-010-0459-9