Investigations on seasonal differences in the energy allocation of free ranging llamas (Lama glama) under Central European and high altitude Andean conditions

中欧和高海拔安第斯条件下散养美洲驼（Lama glama）能量分配季节差异的研究

• 批准号: 251439065
• 负责人: Dr. Alexander Riek
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Tierschutz und Tierhaltung (ITT)
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2012-12-31 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/251439065?language=en
• 关键词: Investigations; seasonal; differences; energy; allocation

Endothermic animals have to keep their body temperature within a narrow limit with changing environmental conditions. However, this comes at a high energetic cost. Nevertheless, there are indications that some ungulates can exhibit some form of an energy saving mechanism when ambient temperatures are low and/or food availability is scarce. This phenomenon has been shown for large ungulates such as roe deer, red deer and for the wild ancestor of the horse, the Przewalski horse. There are speculations that livestock species lost the ability to reduce their energy expenditure under food shortages and/or adverse environmental conditions, since they were housed and selected under constant nutrient supply without selection pressure for maintaining a seasonal, cyclic adaptation. However, empirical confirmation of a supposedly lower adaptability of livestock species compared to their wild counterparts is still missing. Furthermore, it is still unknown to what extend such seasonal adjustments with regard to energy allocation are present in extensively kept livestock species. In that regard the llama is particularly well suited as a model animal since it represents one of the most robust domestic animal breeds which, after the domestication model, can be referred to as a primary population. Therefore, the aim of the study is to determine if the llama, one of the most extensively kept livestock breeds, exhibits seasonal adjustment mechanisms in terms of energy expenditure and locomotion under Central European and high altitude Andean climatic conditions. The proposed study would be the first in a mammal that combines the doubly labelled water method for measuring energy expenditure with a telemetry system measuring locomotion, body temperature and heart rate, as well as determining the distances covered by a GPS. In combination these data will give a very detailed picture about the interaction between energy expenditure and energy savings in an animal.

吸热动物必须在环境条件变化的情况下将体温保持在一个狭窄的范围内。然而，这是以高能量成本为代价的。尽管如此，有迹象表明，当环境温度较低和/或食物供应稀缺时，一些有蹄类动物可以表现出某种形式的节能机制。这一现象已经在大型有蹄类动物中得到了证实，如梅花鹿、红鹿和马的野生祖先普氏野马。有人推测，牲畜物种在食物短缺和/或不利的环境条件下失去了减少能量消耗的能力，因为它们在恒定的营养供应下被圈养和选择，而没有保持季节性、周期性适应的选择压力。然而，与野生动物相比，牲畜物种的适应性较低的经验证实仍然缺失。此外，在广泛饲养的牲畜物种中，这种能量分配方面的季节性调整在多大程度上存在，目前仍不清楚。在这方面，美洲驼特别适合作为模型动物，因为它代表了最健壮的家养动物品种之一，在驯化模型之后，可以将其称为初级种群。因此，本研究的目的是确定美洲驼，最广泛保持的牲畜品种之一，表现出季节性调整机制的能量消耗和运动在中欧和高海拔安第斯山脉的气候条件下。这项拟议中的研究将是第一个在哺乳动物中将测量能量消耗的双标记水方法与测量运动，体温和心率的遥测系统相结合，以及确定GPS覆盖的距离。结合这些数据将给出一个非常详细的图片之间的相互作用的能量消耗和能量储蓄的动物。