Homeostatic and circadian control of body temperature in the fat-tailed gerbil.
The interplay of homeostasis and circadian rhythmicity in the control of body temperature was studied in the fat-tailed gerbil (Pachyuromys duprasi). In a first study, the body temperature rhythm of 8 gerbils maintained at 24 degrees C under a 14L:10D light-dark cycle was studied by telemetry. Data from 9 other species of small mammals were also obtained for comparison. The gerbils were found to exhibit a robust rhythm of body temperature (the most robust of the 10 species) with a high plateau during the dark phase of the light-dark cycle and a low plateau during the light phase. In a second experiment, 5 gerbils were allowed to select the temperature of their environment by moving along a thermal gradient. The animals consistently selected higher ambient temperatures during the light phase of the light-dark cycle (when their body temperature was at the low plateau). In a third experiment, the metabolic response of 8 gerbils to an acute cold exposure was determined by indirect calorimetry. Greater cold-induced thermogenesis was observed during the light phase. The fact that the animals selected higher ambient temperatures and displayed greater cold-induced thermogenesis when their body temperature was lower contradicts the hypothesis that the body temperature rhythm is caused by a rhythmic oscillation of the thermoregulatory set point.
Department of Psychology, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187 USA. rrefinetti@montagemedia.com
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D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect; D002755:Choice Behavior; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature; D022722:Thermogenesis / Q000502:physiology