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Does size matter? Comparison of body temperature and activity of free-living Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) and the smaller Arabian sand gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica) in the Saudi desert

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Abstract

Heterothermy, a variability in body temperature beyond the normal limits of homeothermy, is widely viewed as a key adaptation of arid-adapted ungulates. However, desert ungulates with a small body mass, i.e. a relatively large surface area-to-volume ratio and a small thermal inertia, are theoretically less likely to employ adaptive heterothermy than are larger ungulates. We measured body temperature and activity patterns, using implanted data loggers, in free-ranging Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx, ±70 kg) and the smaller Arabian sand gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica, ±15 kg) inhabiting the same Arabian desert environment, at the same time. Compared to oryx, sand gazelle had higher mean daily body temperatures (F 1,6 = 47.3, P = 0.0005), higher minimum daily body temperatures (F 1,6 = 42.6, P = 0.0006) and higher maximum daily body temperatures (F 1,6 = 11.0, P = 0.02). Despite these differences, both species responded similarly to changes in environmental conditions. As predicted for adaptive heterothermy, maximum daily body temperature increased (F 1,6 = 84.0, P < 0.0001), minimum daily body temperature decreased (F 1,6 = 92.2, P < 0.0001), and daily body temperature amplitude increased (F 1,6 = 97.6, P < 0.0001) as conditions got progressively hotter and drier. There were no species differences in activity levels, however, both gazelle and oryx showed a biphasic or crepuscular rhythm during the warm wet season but shifted to a more nocturnal rhythm during the hot dry season. Activity was attenuated during the heat of the day at times when both species selected cool microclimates. These two species of Arabian ungulates employ heterothermy, cathemerality and shade seeking very similarly to survive the extreme, arid conditions of Arabian deserts, despite their size difference.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in particular the director His Royal Highness Prince Saud Al Faisal, the current secretary-general, His Highness Prince Bander Bin Saud, and the secretary-general at the time the study was conducted, Professor AH Abuzinada, for supporting the research. From the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), we are grateful to Dr Saud Anagariyah for his support in capturing the oryx and the current director, Ahmad Al Bouq. In addition, we thank the Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area rangers for monitoring the animals and the mammal keepers at NWRC for their help with animal handling and assistance during surgery. This research was funded by the National Research Foundation, South Africa, the University of the Witwatersrand Medical Faculty Research Endowment Fund and a START/PACOM African PhD fellowship awarded to RS Hetem.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa

    Robyn Sheila Hetem, Willem Maartin Strauss, Linda Gayle Fick, Shane Kevin Maloney, Leith Carl Rodney Meyer, Andrea Fuller & Duncan Mitchell

  2. National Wildlife Research Center, National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development, PO Box 1086, Taif, Saudi Arabia

    Willem Maartin Strauss & Mohammed Shobrak

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida, 1709, South Africa

    Willem Maartin Strauss

  4. Physiology: Biomedical, Biomolecular, and Chemical Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Perth, 6009, Australia

    Shane Kevin Maloney

  5. Biology Department, Science College, Taif University, PO Box 888, Taif, Saudi Arabia

    Mohammed Shobrak

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  1. Robyn Sheila Hetem
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Correspondence to Robyn Sheila Hetem.

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Communicated by G. Heldmaier.

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Hetem, R.S., Strauss, W.M., Fick, L.G. et al. Does size matter? Comparison of body temperature and activity of free-living Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) and the smaller Arabian sand gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica) in the Saudi desert. J Comp Physiol B 182, 437–449 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-011-0620-0

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