Cette thèse présente les adaptations spécifiques des hibernants ‘food-storing’ qui s’alimentent au cours de l’hibernation, et les conséquences de la qualité du régime alimentaire sur leur cycle annuel. Tandis que les espèces ‘fat-storing’ jeûnent pendant toute l’hibernation, les ‘food-storing’ alternent jeûnes courts et réalimentations. L’adiponectine stimulerait la lipolyse pendant l’hibernation contribuant ainsi à la cétogenèse. Le maintien d’un système digestif fonctionnel conduisant à la sécrétion d’incrétines, permet l’absorption optimale de nutriments lors des courtes euthermies inter-torpeurs. Une absorption accrue de glucose en particulier permettrait de restaurer la glycémie et les réserves de glycogène. Par ailleurs, un régime appauvri en protéines et enrichi en lipides induit un engraissement augmenté en période pré-hibernatoire provoquant une moindre utilisation de la torpeur donc une perte de masse accrue lors de l’hibernation, et une baisse du succès reproducteur. / This thesis presents the specific adaptations of food-storing hibernators that feed during hibernation, and the impact of diet quality on their annual cycle. In contrast to the fat-Storing species which fast during hibernation, the food-storing presents metabolic responses to an alternation of short fasting phases and hyperphagia. These responses involve one hand use of fat reserves during hibernation contributing to ketogenesis, which would be induced by adiponectin. On the other hand, maintaining a functional digestive system leading to the secretion of incretins, permits optimal nutrient absorption in the short inter-torpor euthermia. Increased glucose uptake in particular would restore body reserves to spare. Moreover, a lean protein diet enriched in fat and induces increased in body mass in pre-hibernation period causing reduced use of torpor thus an increased loss of mass during hibernation, and decreased reproductive success.

Environmental cues such as day length and temperature contribute to timing of biological rhythms in seasonal breeders. Life-history transitions such as spring emergence from hibernation, migration, or mating must be coordinated with environmental conditions or survival is compromised. Therefore, there must be chemical signaling pathways in the brain that transduce seasonally-changing sensory inputs into signals that initiate a hormonal cascade, culminating in reproductive behavior. The relative importance of environmental cues to reproductive timing varies with species, time of year, and sex, and the mechanisms driving these differences remain unknown. The role of photoperiod in regulating reproductive behavior has been explored in birds and mammals, but much less is known about the role of so-called supplementary cues such as temperature, which is crucial in the timing of ectotherm reproduction. This is a critical gap in our knowledge, because shifts in seasonal temperatures due to climate change could create a mismatch between peak reproductive behavior and resources necessary for gestation and offspring survival. Deiodinase 2 (DIO2) enzyme is a critical component of the pathway that mediates reproduction in photoperiod-activated seasonal breeders, but whether deiodinase 2 is sensitive to seasonal changes in environmental temperature is unknown. In this study, we used an ectothermic vertebrate known to be a temperature-activated seasonal breeder, the red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis), to investigate changes in hypothalamic DIO2 in response to hibernation at 4°C and 12°C. We captured male and female snakes in Manitoba, Canada as they returned to their winter den site from summer feeding grounds. Snakes were hibernated in complete darkness at either 4°C or 12°C for up to 16 weeks. A subset of each sex and temperature group were euthanized at intervals, and the brains collected and processed for DIO2 immunohistochemistry. DIO2-specific staining was found in the anterior hypothalamus, in the periventricular hypothalamic nucleus and ventral pre-optic area, along the longitudinally central region of the olfactory tract, in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, caudally in the cortex and optic tectum, and in the lateral septal nucleus. DIO2-stained area in the anterior hypothalamus was quantified. Male T. sirtalis in both the 4°C and 12°C groups were found to have an increase in DIO2-specific staining in the anterior hypothalamus after 8 weeks in hibernation. Female T. sirtalis were found to have an increase in DIO2-specific staining in the anterior hypothalamus after 8 weeks in the 12°C group only. These findings shed light on the neuroendocrine pathway through which environmental cues other than photoperiod influence the timing of seasonal reproduction, and support the hypothesis that at least some components of this pathway are conserved across seasonal breeders.

The desert-adapted frogs Cyclorana platycephala and Cyclorana maini survive long periods of inhospitably hot and dry conditions by retreating underground and aestivating. While aestivating they suspend food and water intake as well as physical activity, depress their metabolic rate by ~80 %, and form cocoons that protect them against desiccation. How these frogs function during this exceptional state is largely unknown. This work characterized a number of physiological parameters in three metabolic states spanning their natural metabolic range: during aestivation (depressed metabolism), at rest (normal metabolism), and where possible, during exercise (elevated metabolism). The primary objective was to identify by comparison, physiological adjustments in these parameters to metabolic depression, as well as the scope of these parameters in frogs capable of aestivation. The parameters measured for C. maini were (a) the glucose transport kinetics and (b) the fluid balance of an extensive number of their individual organs. For C. platycephala, the parameters measured were (a) the activity of the cardiovascular system as indicated by heart rate and blood pressure and (b) the roles of pulmonary and cutaneous respiratory systems in gas exchange

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 1997. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Pronounced seasonal adaptations in physiology and behaviour are exhibited by mammals living in polar and temperate habitats. These include the development of a winter coat, altered fat reserves, reproductive quiescence and food hoarding. Maintaining constant body temperature (Tb) during winter is energetically very costly, and so many small mammals periodically abandon homeothermy in favour of heterothermy. The two principal heterothermic strategies are daily torpor and seasonal hibernation, in which bouts of profound hypothermia range from a few hours to several days (respectively). It is now clear that hypothalamic thyroid hormone (TH) regulation, and specifically the availability of the active metabolite triiodothyronine (T3), is a critical regulator of seasonal reproductive cycles in many species including birds and mammals. The impact of this signal as a switch for seasonal changes in physiology has been highlighted by the demonstration that blockade of this pathway prevents seasonal adaption in hamsters. Peripheral TH signalling is also a principle regulator of metabolic rate in mammals. Despite these findings nothing is yet known about the involvement of central (hypothalamic) and peripheral TH cycles in the expression of torpor and hibernation. Within this thesis, the role of TH dynamics both in the brain and peripheral circulation is examined within three models of heterothermia: the Siberian (Phodopus sungorus) and European (Cricetus cricetus) hamsters, which employ daily torpor and hibernation, respectively, and the laboratory mouse (Mus Musculus) which exhibits torpor in response to metabolic stress such as food restriction. To delineate TH regulation and signalling in the context of both seasonal and acute physiological responses, the expression of genes involved in thyroid hormones conversion (e.g. Deiodinase type II (Dio2) and type III (Dio3) and transport (e.g. Monocarboxylate transporter 8, Mct8) within the ependymal layer of the ventral 3rd ventricle have been detailed across seasonal (long (LD) and short day (SD)) photoperiods, and during normothermic and hypothermic conditions. Furthermore, TH concentrations have been directly measured within the hypothalami of P. sungorus and C. cricetus, and TH responsive genes (e.g. Hairless (Hr) and Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) to determine the potential impact of regional T3 signalling. As expected, Dio2 and Dio3 expression in P. sungorus exhibited a strong seasonal cycle indicative of elevated T3 production during SD (reduced Dio2 and elevated Dio3). Unexpectedly, total T3 measures from hypothalamic extracts revealed no significant alteration either seasonally or during torpor/hibernation in hamsters. However, Hr expression in the ependymal layer and TRH expression in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) suggests low T3 concentrations during SD are localised to specific regions and does not encompass the whole hypothalamus per se. In addition, altered serum TH concentrations implicate seasonal and torpor associated dynamics that may play a role in seasonal adaptation and hypothermia. Finally, data from transgenic mice strongly implicate the melatonin-related receptor (GPR50) in leptin signalling and aberrant thermogenesis in mice.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第24518号 / 医博第4960号 / 新制||医||1065(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 柳田 素子, 教授 江木 盛時, 教授 長船 健二 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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No description available.

No description available.

Reptiles are the vertebrate taxon with the highest percentage of at-risk species in Canada, many of which exist at the northern limit of their species’ home range in Ontario. Numerous reptiles are found in the Georgian Bay area; however, factors limiting their distribution in Ontario are poorly understood. It is likely that the thermal and hydrological conditions of a reptile’s critical habitat are contributing factors. Specifically, peatlands serve as ideal hibernacula for the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) while moss cushions may provide freshwater turtles, including the threatened Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) and endangered Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata), with nesting opportunities on open rock barrens. Although different in their functional purpose at opposite life stages for two separate orders of reptiles, these ecosystems provide suitable conditions to meet the physiological needs of the reptiles utilizing them. This analysis characterizes the thermal and hydrological conditions of moss-dominated ecosystems from a reptile species-at-risk perspective. The interaction between the water table and the frost line is important when assessing the winter survival of Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes hibernating in peatland hummocks. Larger hummocks are more ideal as they have a lower chance of becoming flooded in the winter while still providing protection from the advancing frost line. Ideally, hummocks that are 30-35 cm tall provide the greatest chance of survival when snakes hibernate 20-25 cm below the surface. Subsurface temperatures in relation to snow depth, as it is influenced by tree stand characteristics, was also assessed. This resulted in the conclusion that the presence, absence, timing, and frequency of freeze and thaw events is likely more important than snow depth when it comes to winter survival. Similar to rattlesnake hibernacula, turtle nests can be inundated for extended periods of time or exposed to extreme temperatures which reduces their chance of survival. The water storage dynamics of 22 hillslope and 12 hilltop moss cushions along with the temperature dynamics at nine locations were characterized. Although it was determined hilltop locations had greater water storage capabilities, continuously monitored moss cushions responded very quickly to rainfall events whereby sites were inundated for less than 12 hours. Average subsurface temperatures decreased with depth as did temperature fluctuations, both of which were positively correlated but not significantly affected by canopy openness. However, due to their tendency to grow on flat surfaces, not all moss cushions are suitable nesting sites. Moreover, temperatures that ensure proper development and equal ratios of male-to-female turtles were not achieved suggesting that this is a potential factor limiting the northern distribution of turtles in Ontario. In order to properly asses the vulnerability of these populations to threats including habitat loss and climate change, the habitat requirements of different species at critical life stages needs to be understood. Therefore, conservationists can use this study to implement mitigation strategies that consider impacts on the thermal and hydrological dynamics within reptile habitat. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)