An assessment of skin temperature gradients in a tropical primate using infrared thermography and subcutaneous implants.
*Core-shell model; *Heat loss; *Howling monkey; *Skin Temperature; *Subcutaneous temperature; *Thermal windows; *Thermoregulation; *Tropical Climate; Acclimatization; Alouatta/*physiology; Animals; Infrared Rays; Thermography/instrumentation/*methods; Thermometers
Infrared thermography has become a useful tool to assess surface temperatures of animals for thermoregulatory research. However, surface temperatures are an endpoint along the body's core-shell temperature gradient. Skin and fur are the peripheral tissues most exposed to ambient thermal conditions and are known to serve as thermosensors that initiate thermoregulatory responses. Yet relatively little is known about how surface temperatures of wild mammals measured by infrared thermography relate to subcutaneous temperatures. Moreover, this relationship may differ with the degree that fur covers the body. To assess the relationship between temperatures and temperature gradients in peripheral tissues between furred and bare areas, we collected data from wild mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in Costa Rica. We used infrared thermography to measure surface temperatures of the furred dorsum and bare facial areas of the body, recorded concurrent subcutaneous temperatures in the dorsum, and measured ambient thermal conditions via a weather station. Temperature gradients through cutaneous tissues (subcutaneous-surface temperature) and surface temperature gradients (surface-ambient temperature) were calculated. Our results indicate that there are differences in temperatures and temperature gradients in furred versus bare areas of mantled howlers. Under natural thermal conditions experienced by wild animals, the bare facial areas were warmer than temperatures in the furred dorsum, and cutaneous temperature gradients in the face were more variable than the dorsum, consistent with these bare areas acting as thermal windows. Cutaneous temperature gradients in the dorsum were more closely linked to subcutaneous temperatures, while facial temperature gradients were more heavily influenced by ambient conditions. These findings indicate that despite the insulative properties of fur, for mantled howling monkeys surface temperatures of furred areas still demonstrate a relationship with subcutaneous temperatures. Given that most mammals possess dense fur, this provides insight for using infrared imaging in thermoregulatory studies of wild animals lacking bare skin.
Thompson Cynthia L; Scheidel Caleb; Glander Kenneth E; Williams Susan H; Vinyard Christopher J
Journal of thermal biology
2017
2017-01
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2016.11.005" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.jtherbio.2016.11.005</a>
Thyroid hormone fluctuations indicate a thermoregulatory function in both a tropical (Alouatta palliata) and seasonally cold-habitat (Macaca fuscata) primate.
*energetics; *temperature; *thermal environment; *thermoregulation; *thyroid hormone; Alouatta/*physiology/urine; Animals; Basal Metabolism; Body Temperature Regulation/*physiology; Macaca/*physiology/urine; Seasons; Species Specificity; Temperature; Thyroid Hormones/*metabolism/urine
Thyroid hormones boost animals' basal metabolic rate and represent an important thermoregulatory pathway for mammals that face cold temperatures. Whereas the cold thermal pressures experienced by primates in seasonal habitats at high latitudes and elevations are often apparent, tropical habitats also display distinct wet and dry seasons with modest changes in thermal environment. We assessed seasonal and temperature-related changes in thyroid hormone levels for two primate species in disparate thermal environments, tropical mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata), and seasonally cold-habitat Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). We collected urine and feces from animals and used ELISA to quantify levels of the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (fT3 ). For both species, fT3 levels were significantly higher during the cooler season (wet/winter), consistent with a thermoregulatory role. Likewise, both species displayed greater temperature deficits (i.e., the degree to which animals warm their body temperature relative to ambient) during the cooler season, indicating greater thermoregulatory pressures during this time. Independently of season, Japanese macaques displayed increasing fT3 levels with decreasing recently experienced maximum temperatures, but no relationship between fT3 and recently experienced minimum temperatures. Howlers increased fT3 levels as recently experienced minimum temperatures decreased, although demonstrated the opposite relationship with maximum temperatures. This may reflect natural thermal variation in howlers' habitat: wet seasons had cooler minimum and mean temperatures than the dry season, but similar maximum temperatures. Overall, our findings support the hypothesis that both tropical howlers and seasonally cold-habitat Japanese macaques utilize thyroid hormones as a mechanism to boost metabolism in response to thermoregulatory pressures. This implies that cool thermal pressures faced by tropical primates are sufficient to invoke an energetically costly and relatively longer-term thermoregulatory pathway. The well-established relationship between thyroid hormones and energetics suggests that the seasonal hormonal changes we observed could influence many commonly studied behaviors including food choice, range use, and activity patterns.
Thompson Cynthia L; Powell Brianna L; Williams Susan H; Hanya Goro; Glander Kenneth E; Vinyard Christopher J
American journal of primatology
2017
2017-11
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22714" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/ajp.22714</a>