Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) respond to increased ambient temperatures with a seasonal shift in the timing of their daily inactivity patterns

dc.contributor.authorDavimes, Joshua G.
dc.contributor.authorAlagaili, Abdulaziz N.
dc.contributor.authorGravett, Nadine
dc.contributor.authorBertelsen, Mads F.
dc.contributor.authorMohammed, Osama B.
dc.contributor.authorIsmail, Khairy
dc.contributor.authorBennett, Nigel Charles
dc.contributor.authorManger, Paul R.
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-23T13:36:25Z
dc.date.available2016-08-23T13:36:25Z
dc.date.issued2016-08
dc.description.abstractThe Arabian oryx inhabits an environment where summer ambient temperatures can exceed 40 °C for extended periods of time. While the oryx uses a suite of adaptations that aid survival, the effects of this extreme environment on inactivity are unknown. To determine how the oryx manages inactivity seasonally, we measured the daily rhythm of body temperature and used fine-grain actigraphy, in 10 animals, to reveal when the animals were inactive in relation to ambient temperature and photoperiod. We demonstrate that during the cooler winter months, the oryx was inactive during the cooler parts of the 24-h day (predawn hours), showing a nighttime (nocturnal) inactivity pattern. In contrast, in the warmer summer months, the oryx displayed a bimodal inactivity pattern, with major inactivity bouts (those greater than 1 h) occurring equally during both the coolest part of the night (predawn hours) and the warmest part of the day (afternoon hours). Of note, the timing of the daily rhythm of body temperature did not vary seasonally, although the amplitude did change, leading to a seasonal alteration in the phase relationship between inactivity and the body temperature rhythm. Because during periods of inactivity the oryx were presumably asleep for much of the time, we speculate that the daytime shift in inactivity may allow the oryx to take advantage of the thermoregulatory physiology of sleep, which likely occurs when the animal is inactive for more than 1 h, to mitigate environmentally induced increases in body temperature.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentMammal Research Instituteen_ZA
dc.description.librarianhb2016en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Award Number 11-ENV1918-02.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://jbr.sagepub.comen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationDavimes, JG, Alagaili, AN, Gravett, N, Bertelsen, MF, Mohammed, OB, Ismail, K, Bennett, NC & Manger, PR 2016, 'Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) respond to increased ambient temperatures with a seasonal shift in the timing of their daily inactivity patterns', Journal of Biological Rhythms, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 365-374.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0748-7304 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1552-4531 (online
dc.identifier.other10.1177/0748730416645729
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/56456
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherSageen_ZA
dc.rights© 2016 The Author(s)en_ZA
dc.subjectArabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx)en_ZA
dc.subjectCircadian rhythmsen_ZA
dc.subjectMaskingen_ZA
dc.subjectSeasonalityen_ZA
dc.subjectSleepen_ZA
dc.subjectTemperatureen_ZA
dc.titleArabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) respond to increased ambient temperatures with a seasonal shift in the timing of their daily inactivity patternsen_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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