Communal nesting is the optimal strategy for heat conservation in a social marsupial: lessons from biophysical models

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dc.contributor.authorNespolo, Roberto F.
dc.contributor.authorPena, Isabella
dc.contributor.authorMejias, Carlos
dc.contributor.authorNunque, Abel
dc.contributor.authorAltamirano, Tomaprimes
dc.contributor.authorBozinovic, Francisco F.
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-20T21:00:53Z
dc.date.available2025-01-20T21:00:53Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractEndothermy, understood as the maintenance of continuous and high body temperatures owing to the combination of metabolic heat production and an insulative cover, is severely challenged in small endotherms inhabiting cold environments. As a response, social clustering combined with nest use (=communal nesting) is a common strategy for heat conservation. To quantify the actual amount of energy that is saved by this strategy, we studied the social marsupial Dromiciops gliroides (monito del monte), an endemic species of the cold forests of southern South America. It is hypothesized that sociability in this marsupial was driven by cold conditions, but evidence supporting this hypothesis is unclear. Here, we used taxidermic models ('mannequins') to experimentally test the energetic benefits of clustering combined with nest use. To do this, we fitted and compared cooling curves of solitary and grouped mannequins, within and outside of a nest, at the typical winter ambient temperatures of their habitat (5 degrees C). We found that the strategy that minimized euthermic cost of maintenance was the combination of nest use and clustering, thus supporting communal nesting as a social adaptation to cope with the cold. Considering the basal metabolic rate of monitos, our estimates suggest that the savings represents almost half of energy consumption per day (in resting conditions). This study shows how simple biophysical models could help to evaluate bioenergetic hypotheses for social behavior in cold-adapted endotherms.
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.doi10.1242/jeb.244606
dc.identifier.eissn1477-9145
dc.identifier.issn0022-0949
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244606
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/92763
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000923904300009
dc.issue.numero22
dc.language.isoen
dc.revistaJournal of experimental biology
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectNest
dc.subjectTaxidermic models
dc.subjectMannequin
dc.subjectMarsupial
dc.subjectNewton's passive cooling
dc.subjectEndothermy
dc.subjectThermoregulation
dc.subject.ods13 Climate Action
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.odspa13 Acción por el clima
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.titleCommunal nesting is the optimal strategy for heat conservation in a social marsupial: lessons from biophysical models
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen225
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
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