Reproductive status and torpor of the marsupial Sminthopsis crassicaudata: Effect of photoperiod

doi:10.1016/S0306-4565(96)00023-X

Journal of Thermal Biology

Volume 21, Issues 5–6, October–December 1996, Pages 373-380

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4565(96)00023-X Get rights and content

Abstract

1.
1. We investigated the effects of photoperiod on the reproductive state and the occurrence and pattern of torpor in male Sminthopsis crassicaudata.
2.
2. Testes regressed when animals were exposed to a short photoperiod (L:D 8:16) and recrudesced under a long photoperiod (L:D 16:8).
3.
3. Animals entered torpor under both photoperiods and no significant differences were observed in the frequency or physiological variables of torpor of S. crassicaudata between the short and long photoperiods.
4.
4. The differences in the response to photoperiod in thermal physiology and reproduction suggest that, unlike in many rodent species, torpor and reproduction in S. crassicaudata are controlled by separate environmental cues and mechanisms.

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The reproductive response of xeric and mesic populations of the genus Acomys to photoperiod acclimation was investigated. Populations of Acomys russatus and Acomys cahirinus were used as models for xeric and mesic populations, respectively. Mice (n=10 of each species) were acclimated to short (10L:14D) and long (14L:10D) photoperiods at the following ambient temperatures: 31±1 °C (A. russatus) and 28±1 °C ( A. cahirinus) for 52 days. Estrus cycles were monitored by microscopic observation of vaginal epithelial cells three times each week. Three animals from each sex and photoperiod group were sacrificed randomly at the end of acclimation. Wet mass of left testis, uterus and testicular dimensions (for calculation of testis volume) were recorded. The stage of spermatogenesis was determined from histology of seminiferous tubules. Based on the eco-climatic conditions of their natural habitats, we expected A. russatus to be non-responsive to photoperiod and A. cahirinus to be responsive only to long photoperiod. Interestingly, our results showed that only females of A. russatus were unaffected by photoperiod while their male counterparts were unable to maintain testicular activity under a short photoperiod. However, both sexes of A. cahirinus maintained gonadal activity under short and long photoperiod. Our results were compared with those of previous studies and possible ecological explanations were discussed.
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Daily torpor in many temperate-zone mammals is affected by photoperiod. As little is known about the effects of photoperiod on torpor in subtropical species, we investigated whether, and if so how, torpor use, duration, and depth are affected by acclimation to three photoperiods (short, intermediate, long) in the blossom-bat Syconycteris australis. In contrast to many other studies, torpor occurrence, duration, and depth did not significantly respond to photoperiod acclimation in S. australis. Interestingly, the trend of a decline in torpor use under long photoperiod was the opposite of that observed previously in S. australis, which had been captured from the wild in summer and winter. Our study suggests that some species living in low latitude areas with unpredictable weather like S. australis may not use photoperiod for seasonal adjustments in physiology because it is not a reliable cue for food availability.
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Reproductive status and torpor of the marsupial Sminthopsis crassicaudata: Effect of photoperiod

Abstract

J. Therm. Biol.

Comp. Biochem. Physiol.

Heterothermy and the use of torpor by the bat Eptesicus fuscus (Chiroptera: Verspertilionidae): a field study

Physiol. Zool.

Temperature dependence of in vitro androgen production in testes from hibernating golden-mantled ground squirrels, Spermophilus lateralis

Can. J. Zool.

Freeze avoidance in a mammal: body temperatures below 0°C in an Arctic hibernator

Science

Relationships between hibernation and reproduction in male ground squirrels

The influence of hibernation on testis growth and spermatogenesis in the golden-mantled ground squirrel, Spermophilus lateralis

Biol. Reprod.

Fat-tailed dunnart Sminthopsis crassicaudata: establishment and maintenance of a laboratory colony

Reproductive and genetical studies with a laboratory colony of the dasyurid marsupial Sminthopsis crassicaudata

Aust. J. Zool.

Reproduction constrains the use of daily torpor by free-ranging common poorwills (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) (Aves: Caprimulgidae)

J. Zool. (Lond.)

Energetic significance of torpor and other energy-conserving mechanisms in free-living Sminthopsis crassicaudata (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

Aust. J. Zool.

Torpor and thermoregulatory behaviour in free-ranging gliders (Acrobates pygmaeus) (Marsupialia: Burramyidae) in Victoria

Seasonality of torpor and thermoregulation in three dasyurid marsupials

J. Comp. Physiol. B

Torpor in a pregnant echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae)

Aust. Mammal.

Torpor bout duration during the hibernation season of two sciurid rodents: interrelations with temperature and metabolism

Physiol. Zool.

Body-temperatures and torpor in Sminthopsis crassicaudata and S. larapinta (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

J. Zool. (Lond.)

The influence of increased photoperiod on reproduction in the dasyurid marsupial, Sminthopsis crassicaudata

J. Mammal.

Photoperiod, reproductive hormones and winter torpor in three hamster species

Sex differences in the use of daily torpor and foraging time by big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) during the reproductive season

J. Zool. (Lond.)

Photoperiodic control of testis activity in the vole, Microtus agrestis

J. Reprod. Fert.

Intraspecific differences in the use of photperiod and temperature as environmental cues in white-footed mice Peromyscus leucopus

Physiol. Zool.