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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

The consequences of seasonal fasting during the dormancy of tegu lizards (Salvator merianae) on their postprandial metabolic response

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Author(s):
Gavira, Rodrigo S. B. [1] ; Sartori, Marina R. [1] ; Gontero-Fourcade, Manuel N. [2] ; Gomes, Bruna F. [3] ; Abe, Augusto S. [1] ; Andrade, Denis V. [1]
Total Authors: 6
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
[2] Consejo Invest Cient & Tecn, Inst Multidisciplinario Invest Biol San Luis, RA-5700 San Luis - Argentina
[3] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology; v. 221, n. 8 APR 2018.
Web of Science Citations: 1
Abstract

Tegu lizards (Salvator merianae) aestivate for up to 5 months during Brazil's winter, when they retreat to burrows and halt most activities. Dormant tegus reduce their gastrointestinal (GI) mass, which allows a substantial energy economy. This strategy, however, implies that the first post-dormancy digestion would be more costly than subsequent feeding episodes as a result of GI atrophy. To address this, we determined the postprandial metabolic response (SDA) of the first (M1), second (M2) and several (RM) feeding episodes after tegus' dormancy. Another group of tegus (PF) was subjected to an extra 50 day fasting period after arousal. Glucose, triglycerides and uric acid levels were checked before and after feeding. M1 digestion lasted twice as long and cost twofold more when compared with M2 or RM, in agreement with the idea that GI atrophy inflates digestion cost at the first post-dormancy meal. The SDA response was similar in M2 and RM, suggesting that the GI tract was fully reorganized after the first feeding. The SDA cost was equal in PF and RM, implying that the change in state per se (dormant to arousal) triggers the regrowth of GI, independently of feeding. Fasting tegus at M1 presented higher triglyceride and lower uric acid levels than fed tegus, indicating that fasting is mainly sustained by fat storage. Our results show that seasonal fasting imposes an extra digestion cost to tegus following their next feeding, which is fully paid during their first digestion. This surplus cost, however, is negligible compared with the overall energetic savings from GI tract atrophy during the dormancy period. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 11/09647-1 - Effects of Ontogeny and Diet on Growth Performance and Digestive Physiology of the Tegu Lizard, Salvator merianae
Grantee:Bruna de França Gomes
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
FAPESP's process: 12/15697-4 - Influence of climatic and ecophysiological parameters in the distribution of snakes of the genusBothrops
Grantee:Rodrigo Samuel Bueno Gavira
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 08/57712-4 - The National Institute of Comparative Physiological Research
Grantee:Augusto Shinya Abe
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 13/04190-9 - Thermal physiology and water balance in anurans along an altitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Rainforest
Grantee:Denis Otavio Vieira de Andrade
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 12/16537-0 - Cardiovascular autonomic control and metabolism in lizard embryos (Reptilia; Lepidosauria)
Grantee:Marina Rincon Sartori
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate