Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9L 0G2.
Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, 223 62, Sweden.
Proc Biol Sci. 2023 Nov 8;290(2010):20231251. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1251. Epub 2023 Nov 1.
Responding to perceived threats is energetically expensive and can require animals to curtail somatic repair, immunity, and even reproduction to balance energy ledgers. In birds and mammals, energetic demands of thermoregulation are often immense, yet whether homeostatic body temperatures are also compromised to aid the stress response is not known. Using data sourced from over 60 years of literature and 24 endotherm species, we show that exposure to non-thermal challenges (e.g. human interaction, social threats) caused body temperatures to decrease in the cold and increase in the warmth, but particularly when species-specific costs of thermoregulation were high and surplus energy low. Biophysical models revealed that allowing body temperature to change in this way liberated up to 24% (mean = 5%) of resting energy expenditure for use towards coping. While useful to avoid energetic overload, these responses nevertheless heighten risks of cold- or heat-induced damage, particularly when coincident with cold- or heatwaves.
应对感知到的威胁需要大量的能量，这可能导致动物减少体细胞修复、免疫力，甚至繁殖，以平衡能量收支。在鸟类和哺乳动物中，体温调节的能量需求通常非常巨大，但尚不清楚是否为了帮助应对压力，内稳态的体温也会受到影响。我们利用来自 60 多年文献和 24 种恒温动物的数据表明，暴露于非热挑战（例如人类互动、社会威胁）会导致体温在寒冷时下降，在温暖时上升，但在特定物种的体温调节成本高且剩余能量低时尤其如此。生物物理模型显示，允许体温以这种方式变化，可释放高达 24%（平均值为 5%）的静息能量消耗，用于应对压力。虽然这对于避免能量过载很有用，但这些反应仍然会增加冷或热诱发损伤的风险，尤其是当与冷或热浪同时发生时。
