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Climate influences thermal balance and water use in African and Asian elephants: physiology can predict drivers of elephant distribution
- Source :
- The Journal of experimental biology. 216(Pt 15)
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- SUMMARYElephant movement patterns in relation to surface water demonstrate that they are a water-dependent species. Thus, there has been interest in using surface water management to mitigate problems associated with localized elephant overabundance. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying the elephant's water dependence remain unclear. Although thermoregulation is likely an important driver, the relationship between thermoregulation, water use and climate has not been quantified. We measured skin surface temperature of and cutaneous water loss from 13 elephants (seven African, 3768±642 kg; six Asian, 3834±498 kg) and determined the contribution of evaporative cooling to their thermal and water budgets across a range of air temperatures (8–33°C). We also measured respiratory evaporative water loss and resting metabolic heat production on a subset of elephants (N=7). The rate of cutaneous evaporative water loss ranged between 0.31 and 8.9 g min−1 m−2 for Asian elephants and 0.26 and 6.5 g min−1 m−2 for African elephants. Simulated thermal and water budgets using climate data from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and Okaukuejo, Namibia, suggested that the 24-h evaporative cooling water debt incurred in warm climates can be more than 4.5 times that incurred in mesic climates. This study confirms elephants are obligate evaporative coolers but suggests that classification of elephants as water dependent is insufficient given the importance of climate in determining the magnitude of this dependence. These data highlight the potential for a physiological modeling approach to predicting the utility of surface water management for specific populations.
- Subjects :
- Male
Asia
Physiology
Range (biology)
Climate
Elephants
Population Dynamics
Distribution (economics)
Aquatic Science
Permeability
Animals
Molecular Biology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
business.industry
Ecology
Respiration
Temperature
Water
Thermoregulation
Water Loss, Insensible
Insect Science
Africa
Metabolic heat production
Environmental science
Animal Science and Zoology
Female
Epidermis
business
Surface water
Thermal balance
Water use
Evaporative cooler
Body Temperature Regulation
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14779145
- Volume :
- 216
- Issue :
- Pt 15
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The Journal of experimental biology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....25e99fe40f033bdc39ad6d2964e9ac48