The insectivorous batPipistrellus nathusiiuses a mixed-fuel strategy to power autumn migration
| Autor: | Jurģis Šuba, Gunārs Pētersons, Karin Sörgel, Oskars Keišs, Christian C. Voigt |
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| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
Male
media_common.quotation_subject Zoology Insect Biology General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Predation chemistry.chemical_compound Pipistrellus nathusii Chiroptera Adipocyte Animals Mixed fuel Tenebrio Research Articles General Environmental Science media_common Carbon Isotopes General Immunology and Microbiology Ecology Fatty Acids Energetics Insectivore General Medicine biology.organism_classification Latvia Diet Breath Tests chemistry Insect Proteins Animal Migration Female Dietary Proteins Energy Metabolism General Agricultural and Biological Sciences Energy source Oxidation-Reduction |
| Zdroj: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 279:3772-3778 |
| ISSN: | 1471-2954 0962-8452 |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rspb.2012.0902 |
| Popis: | In contrast to birds, bats are possibly limited in their capacity to use body fat as an energy source for long migrations. Here, we studied the fuel choice of migratoryPipistrellus nathusii(approximate weight: 8 g) by analysing the stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13CV-PDB) of breath and potential energy sources. Breathδ13CV-PDBwas intermediate betweenδ13CV-PDBof insect prey and adipocyte triacylglycerols, suggesting a mixed-fuel use ofP. nathusiiduring autumn migration. To clarify the origin of oxidized fatty acids, we performed feeding experiments with captiveP. nathusii. After an insect diet, bat breath was enriched in13C relative to the bulk and fat portion of insects, but not deviating from the non-fat portion of insects, suggesting that bats oxidized exogenous proteins and carbohydrates, but not exogenous fatty acids. A feeding experiment with13C-labelled substrates confirmed these findings. In conclusion, migratoryP. nathusiioxidized dietary proteins directly from insects captured en route in combination with endogenous fatty acids from adipocytes, and replenished their body reserves by routing dietary fatty acids to their body reserves. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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