No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Mar. 5, 2009). Advisor: C. Owen Lovejoy. Keywords: temperature, bone growth, Allen's Rule, skeletal morphology, limb proportions, environmental effects on bone growth. Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-176).

Thesis (Master)--İzmir Institute of Technology, İzmir, 2005 / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-65).

Thesis (Honors)--College of William and Mary, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-40). Also available online.

Inaug.-Diss.--Zürich. / Curriculum vitae. "Literatur": p. [29]-30.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri--Columbia, 2005. / "May 2005." Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 23-27). Also issued on the Internet.

Endothermy refers to the ability of an individual to produce heat from internal sources, and allows animals to maintain a body temperature that is higher than their external environment. Although much is known about the benefits of endothermy, its origin is highly debated. Nonetheless, due to environmental variation, endotherms have to regulate their heat production (thermogenesis) in order to remain normothermic. An endotherms regulatory response seems to be body size dependent. Keeping warm during cold periods is energetically expensive, and for small mammals this is exacerbated by their high rate of heat loss due to high surface area to volume ratios. To compensate for the heat lost, small non-hibernating mammals must increase their level of thermogenesis. Much of our current understanding of thermogenic responses of small mammals is derived from laboratory acclimated animals, and studies on naturally acclimatized animals are uncommon. In addition, most studies on thermogenesis tend to focus on one level of animal organisation, such as subcellular, tissue or in-vivo, but seldom integrate these data. The aim of this study was to measure year-round variation in thermogenesis across all levels of organisation, using naturally acclimatized Rhabdomys pumilio individuals from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth. It was predicted that the level of thermogenesis would be significantly higher during winter relative to other seasons in order to cope with the low ambient temperatures (Tas) experienced during this season. Open flow respirometry was used to measure the animal's oxygen consumption, as a proxy for metabolism; the by product of which is heat production. The animal's basal metabolic rate (BMR), nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) capacity and summit metabolic rate (MSUM) were measured. A Western blot analysis was used to determine the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP 1) in the animals' brown adipose tissue (BAT), as well as determine its relative concentration. The cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity of the animals' visceral organs and BAT was measured, as an indicator of the tissues' metabolic activity. COX activity was determined as the difference in the tissues' oxygen consumption before and after the addition of horse cytochrome c.

Resumo: Com o propósito de obter um perfil da variação sazonal e diária da temperatura corpórea (Tc) do lagarto teiú, T. merianae, sensores/ registradores de temperatura ("data-loggers") foram cirurgicamente implantados, em oito espécimes adultos de ambos os sexos.Os lagartos foram mantidos em baias ao ar livre e acompanhados durante um ano. As temperaturas dos microambientes ao sol, na sombra e na toca foram igualmente registradas. A Tc dos teiús mostrou variação sazonal e diária relacionadas às mudanças nas temperaturas dos microambientes e aos ajustes fisiológicos nas taxas de aquecimento e de resfriamento. A Tc média diária seguiu um ritmo circadiano, com temperaturas mínimas no início da manhã, aumento entre 12h e 16h e queda gradual ao final da tarde. A Tc media diária de atividade durante a estação de atividade (agosto/dezembro) ficou em 33,6oC l 1,4 oC. A taxa média de aquecimento foi cinco vezes maior que a de resfriamento durante a estação de atividade, o que permitiu ao animal manter sua Tc acima da temperatura do abrigo e da sombra. Com o declínio da temperatura ambiente em meados do outono, os teiús entram nos abrigos e o ritmo circadiano de variação da Tc diminuiu. Durante a estação de dormência, a Tc máxima diária foi de 20,1oC l 0,7oC e seguiu a variação térmica do abrigo. Durante a estação de atividade, T. merianae controla sua Tc por termorregulação. Nos meses frios o teiú entra em dormência com a queda da Tc, que acompanha passivamente a temperatura da toca / Abstract: In order to obtain a profile of the seasonal and daily variation of the body temperature (Tc) of the tegu lizard, Tupinambis merianae, TidBit® electronic data loggers (temperature probes) were surgically implanted in eight adult individuals. The lizards were kept in outdoor pens and monitored over a one year period. Teguþs body temperature showed seasonal and daily variations, which were related to the changes in the temperatures of the microhabitats (sun, shade, and burrow) and, possibly, to changes in heating and cooling rates. The daily average Tc followed a circadian rhythm characterized by lowest temperatures occurring at dawn, then temperature rapidly increases from soon after sunrise until noon, Tc is then maintained in high levels until late afternoon (~16h) when the lizards stop activity, retreat to the burrow, and let body temperature to drop. The mean Tc experienced by the tegus during activity at the warm season (August/December) was 33.6 oC l 1,4 oC. During the active season, the heating rate of the lizards during the morning was five times greater than the cooling rate experienced during the night. As a result, tegus seems to be able to maintain their Tc above the temperature of the burrow and of the shade along the night time. With declining air temperatures towards the end of autumn, tegus enter their burrows, goes into dormancy, and the circadian rhythm in Tc become less prominent. During this season, Tc followed passively the variation of the burrowþs temperature / Orientador: Augusto Shinya Abe / Coorientador: Denis Otávio Vieira de Andrade / Banca: José Eduardo Bicudo / Banca: Monique Van Sluys / Mestre