Kleptothermy: an additional category of thermoregulation, and a possible example in sea kraits ( Laticauda laticaudata, Serpentes) - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Biology Letters Année : 2009

Kleptothermy: an additional category of thermoregulation, and a possible example in sea kraits ( Laticauda laticaudata, Serpentes)

Résumé

Lacking the capacity for thermogenesis, most ectotherms inhabiting thermally heterogeneous environments rely instead upon exploiting that ambient heterogeneity. In many cases they maintain body temperatures within a narrow range despite massive spatial and temporal variation in ambient conditions. Reliance on diverse thermal opportunities is reflected in specific terms for organisms that bask in sunlight to regulate their temperature (heliotherms), or that press their bodies against warm substrates to facilitate heat flow (thigmotherms), or that rely on large body mass to maintain thermal constancy (gigantothermy). We propose an additional category of thermoregulators: kleptotherms, which regulate their own temperature by ‘stealing' heat from other organisms. This concept involves two major conditions: the thermal heterogeneity created by the presence of a warm organism in a cool environment and the selective use of that heterogeneity by another animal to maintain body temperatures at higher (and more stable) levels than would be possible elsewhere in the local area. Kleptothermy occurs in endotherms also, but is usually reciprocal (rather than unilateral as in ectotherms). Thermal monitoring on a small tropical island documents a possible example of kleptothermy, based on high stable temperatures of a sea snake (Laticauda laticaudata) inside a burrow occupied by seabirds.

Dates et versions

hal-00410207 , version 1 (18-08-2009)

Identifiants

Citer

Francois Brischoux, Xavier Bonnet, Richard Shine. Kleptothermy: an additional category of thermoregulation, and a possible example in sea kraits ( Laticauda laticaudata, Serpentes). Biology Letters, 2009, 5, pp.729-731. ⟨10.1098/rsbl.2009.0550⟩. ⟨hal-00410207⟩

Collections

CNRS
92 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More