Small Alpine Marsupials Regulate Evaporative Water Loss, Suggesting a Thermoregulatory Role Rather than a Water Conservation Role

Abstract

We show here that evaporative water loss (EWL) is constant over a wide range of ambient relative humidity for two species of small, mesic habitat dasyurid marsupials (Antechinus agilis and Antechinus swainsonii) below thermoneutrality (20°C) and within thermoneutrality (30°C). This independence of EWL from the water vapor pressure deficit between the animal and its environment indicates that EWL is physiologically controlled by both species. The magnitude of this control of EWL was similar to that of two other small marsupials from more arid habitats, which combined with the observation that there were no effects of relative humidity on body temperature or metabolic rate, suggests that control of EWL is a consequence of precise thermoregulation to maintain heat balance rather than a water-conserving strategy at low relative humidities. The antechinus appear to manipulate cutaneous EWL rather than respiratory EWL to control their total EWL by modifying their cutaneous resistance and/or skin temperature. We propose that there is a continuum between enhanced thermoregulatory EWL at high ambient temperature and so-called insensible EWL at and below thermoneutrality.