Urinary creatinine varies with microenvironment and sex in hibernating Greater Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) in Korea
| Autor: | Sun-Sook Kim, Kodzue Kinoshita, Heungjin Ryu, Sungbae Joo |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Male
030110 physiology 0106 biological sciences 0301 basic medicine Evolution Water stress Urinary system Field data Physiology Urine Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences chemistry.chemical_compound Chiroptera South Korea Hibernation Republic of Korea QH359-425 Animals Urinary concentration QH540-549.5 Hydration status Greater horseshoe bats Creatinine Ecology Rhinolophus ferrumequinum General Medicine biology.organism_classification chemistry Female Arousal Research Article |
| Zdroj: | BMC Ecology and Evolution, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021) BMC Ecology and Evolution |
| ISSN: | 2730-7182 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12862-021-01802-z |
| Popis: | Background In temperate regions many small mammals including bats hibernate during winter. During hibernation these small mammals occasionally wake up (arouse) to restore electrolyte and water balance. However, field data on water stress and concentration of bodily fluids during hibernation is scarce. Urinary creatinine concentration has long been used to calibrate urinary hormone concentration due to its close correlation with urine concentration. Therefore, by investigating urinary creatinine concentration, we can estimate bodily fluid concentration. In this study, we investigated changes in urinary creatinine from greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) hibernating in abandoned mineshafts in two regions in South Korea. Results We collected 74 urine samples from hibernating greater horseshoe bats from 2018 to 2019. We found that urinary creatinine concentration was higher in February and March and then declined in April. There were also indications of a sex difference in the pattern of change in creatinine concentration over the three months. Bats in the warmer and less humid mineshaft had higher urinary creatinine concentrations than bats in the colder and more humid mineshaft. Conclusions These results indicate that hibernating bats face water stress as urinary concentration increases during winter and that water stress may vary depending on the microenvironment. Sex differences in behaviour during hibernation may influence arousal frequency and result in sex differences in changes in urinary creatinine concentration as hibernation progresses. Although further behavioural and endocrinal investigations are needed, our study suggests that urinary creatinine concentration can be used as a proxy to estimate the hydration status of bats and the effect of sex and environmental factors on arousal patterns during hibernation. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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