Drought-induced starvation of aardvarks in the Kalahari : an indirect effect of climate change

dc.contributor.authorRey, Benjamin
dc.contributor.authorFuller, Andrea
dc.contributor.authorMitchell, Duncan
dc.contributor.authorMeyer, Leith Carl Rodney
dc.contributor.authorHetem, Robyn S.
dc.date.accessioned2017-09-29T05:16:29Z
dc.date.issued2017-07
dc.description.abstractAardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are elusive burrowing mammals, predominantly nocturnal and distributed widely throughout Africa except for arid deserts. Their survival may be threatened by climate change via direct and indirect effects of increasing heat and aridity. To measure their current physiological plasticity, we implanted biologgers into six adult aardvarks resident in the semi-arid Kalahari. Following a particularly dry and hot summer, five of the study aardvarks and 11 other aardvarks at the study site died. Body temperature records revealed homeothermy (35.4–37.2°C) initially, but heterothermy increased progressively through the summer, with declining troughs in the nychthemeral rhythm of body temperature reaching as low as 25°C before death, likely due to starvation. Activity patterns shifted from the normal nocturnal to a diurnal mode. Our results do not bode well for the future of aardvarks facing climate change. Extirpation of aardvarks, which play a key role as ecosystem engineers, may disrupt stability of African ecosystems.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentParaclinical Sciencesen_ZA
dc.description.embargo2018-07-30
dc.description.librarianhj2017en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipThe Claude Leon Foundation, the Tswalu Foundation, the University of the Witwatersrand, Friedel Sellschop Award and the South African National Research Foundation.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://rsbl.royalsocietypublishingen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationRey, B., Fuller, A., Mitchell, D., Meyer, L.C.R. & Hetem, R.S. 2017, 'Drought-induced starvation of aardvarks in the Kalahari : an indirect effect of climate change', Biology Letters, vol. 13, no. 7.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1744-9561 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1744-957X (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1098/rsbl.2017.0301
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/62537
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherThe Royal Societyen_ZA
dc.rights© The Royal Society 2017en_ZA
dc.subjectAardvarks (Orycteropus afer)en_ZA
dc.subjectClimate changeen_ZA
dc.subjectIncreasing heaten_ZA
dc.subjectAridityen_ZA
dc.subjectKalaharien_ZA
dc.subjectStarvationen_ZA
dc.subjectBody temperature (Tb)en_ZA
dc.subjectPhysiological flexibilityen_ZA
dc.subjectActivity patternsen_ZA
dc.titleDrought-induced starvation of aardvarks in the Kalahari : an indirect effect of climate changeen_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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