Guest Lecture - Mammal Physiological Adaptations to Winter Prof. Gregory Florant, Colorado State University

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Related Links
  • Related Presentation "Why Fat is Good: The Physiological Consequences of Obesity in Mammalian Hibernators" (pdf, 8M)
    • "The keynote presentation from EB 2007's Physiology for Life Science High School Teachers and Students Workshop. This powerpoint presentation discusses the connection between food intake, fat mass, temperature and hibernation in animals and how these connections relate to human obesity." 
    • source: http://www.the-aps.org/mm/Careers/Midhigh/Career-Trading-Cards/Meet-Physiologists/Florant (http://www.lifescitrc.org/resource.cfm?submissionID=4325)
Lesson points
  • Hibernation (broadly defined) is polyphyletic in mammals (occurs in different lines).
  • In Marmots --
    • Hibernation dynamics, such as of torpor bouts, depends on essential fatty acids that can only be gained from certain plant species during summer.  (Hill & Florant 1999, http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z99-132).
    • Earliest of these plants to emerge in spring (such as cows parsnip, Heracleum lanatum) is a determinate of their summer territories.
    • Physiological controls over feeding (and its cessation) are key to understanding high accumulation of fats in preparation for hibernation.



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rev. 25 Jan 18