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Fritz Geiser
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Book Chapter
Series: Other RZS NSW Publications
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Published: 01 January 2012
DOI:
10.7882/FS.2012.018
EISBN: 978-0-9803272-6-7
Abstract
The endangered Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus is an alpine-subalpine specialist and the only Australian mammal entirely restricted to areas above the winter snowline. There are three geographically isolated populations of B. parvus : Kosciuszko National Park (South Ramshead - Cabramurra) in New South Wales, and Mt Bogong - Mt Higginbotham and Mt Buller in Victoria. Populations have shown signs of rapid decline over the last 15 years. The duration of snow cover and time of snow melt appear to be linked to the survival rate of the Mountain Pygmy-possum which is under severe threat from climate change. Here we discuss its life history, extinction threats and the potential value of the fossil record in identifying conservation options for the Mountain Pygmy-possum. Also presented is a proposal to establish a breeding facility for the rapidly declining Kosciuszko population in New South Wales. This breeding facility would firstly provide a safety net for unanticipated disasters in the alpine and subalpine zone that might occur in the short term. Secondly, the facility would provide an opportunity to address concerns that climate change will eventually transform the subalpine-alpine zone, making it unsuitable for further survival of B. parvus populations. To address this concern, we propose breeding surplus individuals that could be experimentally acclimatised for release into alternate environments.
Journal Articles
Journal:
Australian Zoologist
Australian Zoologist (2011) 35 (2): 204–215.
Published: 14 October 2011
Abstract
Trpor is the most effective means for energy conservation available to mammals and is characterized by substantial reductions in body temperature (T b ) and metabolic rate (MR). Most Australian terrestrial mammals are small with high mass-specific energy requirements and, although it is widely believed that torpor is not needed in a ‘warm’ country like Australia, a large number of species are heterothermic (i.e. capable of changing T b , in contrast to homeothermic mammals with a constant high T b ). These heterothermic species (estimated >43% of terrestrial Australian native mammals) employ periods of daily torpor or prolonged multi-day torpor (hibernation) to conserve energy. Daily torpor is used by dasyurids (e.g. dunnarts, antechinus, quolls), myrmecobiids (numbat), tarsipedids (honey-possum), petaurid possums (e.g. sugar glider), rodents (but only known in the introduced house mouse), and small megabats (blossom-bats). During daily torpor, T b is reduced from ~35°C during the active or normothermic phase to ~I0-25°C during torpor, and the torpor MR (TMR) is ~30% of the basal metabolic rate (BMR). Daily torpor is often, but not exclusively, used during the rest phase and, between bouts of torpor, animals usually forage and feed. Recent evidence shows that free-ranging arid zone dasyurids may employ daily torpor on every day in winter and that torpor may last twice as long as in captivity (often up to around 20 hours), which will reduce energy expenditure and thereby food requirements by up to 80%. Hibernation or prolonged torpor has been observed in the Monotremes (echidna), marsupials (pygmy-possums and feathertail glider) and insectivorous bats (e.g. long-eared bats). During prolonged torpor, which often, but not exclusively, is expressed in winter, T b is usually reduced to a minimum of ~0-10°C, and torpor bouts may last for several days or weeks, but in all species periodic arousals with brief normothermic periods (hours) between bouts of torpor have been observed. The TMR during hibernation is extremely low and can be as little as 1 -5% of the BMR; daily energy expenditure can be reduced to only 3% of that in active individuals permitting survival on stored body fat for months without the need to feed. Daily and prolonged torpor in many Australian mammals appear to be opportunistic and not only important for survival of adverse seasonal conditions, but apparently also for dealing with unpredictable events such as droughts and perhaps fires and floods. As torpor substantially reduces energy requirements its use will in turn reduce the need for foraging and consequently exposure to predators. Predator avoidance by employing torpor and minimising foraging may be one of the reasons why none of the known heterothermic Australian species has gone extinct. In contrast many of the similar-sized perceived homeothermic species, such as rodents and bandicoots, have suffered high rates of extinction possibly because they must forage long and frequently to meet large energetic demands and thus are more vulnerable to predation by introduced foxes and cats.