Liu Dongjie, Zhu Wanlong
Key Laboratory of Ecological Adaptive Evolution and Conservation on Animals-Plants in Southwest Mountain Ecosystem of Yunnan Province Higher Institutes College, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China.
School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China.
Front Physiol. 2025 Aug 28;16:1651991. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1651991. eCollection 2025.
To investigate the capacity of to withstand high-temperature environments and its adaptability to global warming trends, while examining evidence for the species' tropical origins through thermal neutral zone analysis.
This study subjected , a representative mammal of the Oriental realm, to a temperature of 35 °C for 28 days to induce thermal acclimation. Body temperature (T) and basal metabolic rate (BMR) were measured at ambient temperatures (T) of 20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, 32.5 °C, 35 °C, and 37.5 °C, with thermal conductance (C) subsequently calculated. Latitudinal distributions and thermal neutral zone (TNZ) of 90 small mammals were compared against both normal-temperature and high-temperature acclimated .
Results indicated that T increased with rising ambient temperature, averaging 39.9 °C ± 0.16 °C within the TNZ. BMR showed no significant difference within the 30 °C-35 °C range. The mean BMR was 1.60 ± 0.025 mL O/(g·h), indicating TNZ convergence at 30 °C-35 °C under high-temperature conditions. The mean C values within this range were 0.16 ± 0.0052mL O/(g·h· °C). Compared to previous data on normal-temperature acclimation from our laboratory, high-temperature acclimated animals exhibited elevated T, reduced BMR, a narrowed TNZ with an increased lower thermal neutral zone (LTNZ), and heightened C values. The TNZ of both acclimation groups in within the tropical high-temperature ranges.
These findings collectively indicated that adapts to thermal stress through increased T, reduced metabolic rate, enhanced heat dissipation capacity, and a shift of the TNZ towards higher temperatures. Additionally, the TNZ of exhibited minimal fluctuations when subjected to high-temperature stress, indicating a strong adaptive capacity to warmer environments. Furthermore, the TNZ of is situated within the tropical high-temperature range, providing physiological evidence of its tropical origin based on the characteristics of the TNZ.
为了研究[物种名称]耐受高温环境的能力及其对全球变暖趋势的适应性，同时通过热中性区分析来检验该物种热带起源的证据。
本研究将东洋界的代表性哺乳动物[物种名称]置于35℃的温度环境下28天以诱导热适应。在20℃、25℃、30℃、32.5℃、35℃和37.5℃的环境温度（Ta）下测量体温（Tb）和基础代谢率（BMR），随后计算热传导率（C）。将90种小型哺乳动物的纬度分布和热中性区（TNZ）与正常温度和高温适应后的[物种名称]进行比较。
结果表明，Tb随环境温度升高而增加，在热中性区内平均为39.9℃±0.16℃。BMR在30℃ - 35℃范围内无显著差异。平均BMR为1.60±0.025 mL O₂/(g·h)，表明在高温条件下热中性区在30℃ - 35℃处趋同。该范围内的平均C值为0.16±0.0052 mL O₂/(g·h·℃)。与我们实验室之前关于常温适应的数据相比，高温适应的动物表现出Tb升高、BMR降低、热中性区变窄且下限热中性区（LTNZ）增加以及C值升高。两个适应组的热中性区都在热带高温范围内。
这些发现共同表明，[物种名称]通过升高Tb、降低代谢率、增强散热能力以及将热中性区向更高温度偏移来适应热应激。此外，[物种名称]在受到高温胁迫时热中性区波动最小，表明其对温暖环境具有很强的适应能力。此外，[物种名称]的热中性区位于热带高温范围内，基于热中性区的特征为其热带起源提供了生理证据。
