Adaptation to heat and water shortage in large, arid-zone mammals.
Although laboratory studies of large mammals have revealed valuable information on thermoregulation, such studies cannot predict accurately how animals respond in their natural habitats. Through insights obtained on thermoregulatory behavior, body temperature variability, and selective brain cooling in free-living mammals, we show here how we can better understand the physiological capacity of large mammals to cope with hotter and drier arid-zone habitats likely with climate change.
Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and.
Andrea
A
Fuller
Robyn S
RS
Hetem
Shane K
SK
Maloney
Duncan
D
Mitchell
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D057231:Climate Change; D017753:Ecosystem; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals / Q000502:physiology*; D014867:Water / Q000502:physiology*
D014867:Water