Plasticity of physiological parameters and adaptations to extreme seasonality in Galago moholi (Galagidae), a South African primate.

生理参数在一个物种中比以前认为的要灵活得多。这在生理需求旺盛的时期尤其明显，如凉爽的季节，食物供应量低。然而，动物往往只能在野外展示其生理和行为可能性的全部范围，在那里它们不受实验室条件的限制。南非灵长类Galago moholi提供了一个特别合适的系统来研究这种生理可塑性和对极端季节性的适应：G。moholi生活在季节性很强的萨凡纳上，并且由于可变的繁殖模式，还提供了在“自然实验”中比较不同的生理、生态和行为策略的特殊机会，与不同的季节条件有关。拟议的研究旨在调查生理参数的可塑性（特别是温度调节和能量收支）以及对极端季节性的其他适应（摄食生态和行为）。moholi，使用最近才出现的最先进的生理学方法（在野外测量体温和代谢率），结合成熟的生态学野外方法。这些过程的理解允许测试假设的最终因素导致的进化（或损失）的麻痹在灵长类动物，另外可以帮助理解的先决条件，是相关的殖民马达加斯加的灵长类动物。

Physiological parameters are much more flexible within a species than previously thought. This becomes particularly obvious during physiologically demanding times, such as cool seasons with low food availability. However, animals can often only show the whole spectrum of their physiological and behavioural possibilities in the field, where they are not restricted by laboratory conditions. The South African primate Galago moholi offers an especially suitable system to investigate this physiological plasticity and adaptations to extreme seasonality in the field: G. moholi lives in highly seasonal savannah and additionally offers the exceptional opportunity of comparing differing physiological, ecological and ethological strategies in a “natural experiment” because of variable breeding patterns, that are linked to different seasonal conditions.The proposed study aims to investigate the plasticity of physiological parameters (especially of thermoregulation and energy budgets) as well as other adaptations to extreme seasonality (feeding ecology and behaviour) in G. moholi, using state-of-the-art methods of physiology, that have become available only recently (measurement of body temperature and metabolic rate in the field) combined with well established ecological field methods. The understanding of these processes allows to test hypotheses about the ultimate factors leading to the evolution (or the loss) of torpor in primates and additionally can help to understand the prerequisites that were relevant for the colonisation of Madagascar by primates.