Nicole Vargas, Maritza Sepúlveda, Alicia I. Guerrero
{"title":"南极半岛西部威德尔海豹的体表温度模式及其与环境变量的联系","authors":"Nicole Vargas, Maritza Sepúlveda, Alicia I. Guerrero","doi":"10.1007/s00300-024-03258-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Pinnipeds face challenges in maintaining a stable body temperature in two mediums with distinct characteristics: the terrestrial and aquatic environments. Water extracts heat faster than air, so pinnipeds possess adaptations to maintain thermal balance in both environments. When exiting the water, some phocid species develop thermal windows, areas on the body surface displaying higher temperatures than the rest of the body. This mechanism is thought to help in dissipating excess heat from the body. We assessed whether Weddell seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>), the southernmost distributed marine mammal, had the capacity to develop thermal windows and investigated the relationship between thermal surface patterns and environmental factors. We obtained infrared images of 45 hauled-out Weddell seals within the western Antarctic Peninsula, during the summer season. Weddell seals presented uniform surface temperatures across body regions (head, torso, front flipper, and hind flipper) suggesting that all body parts have an equal role in keeping thermal balance. The main driver of surface temperature was wind speed, with higher wind speeds resulting in lower surface temperatures. Wind facilitates convective heat transfer to the environment, decreasing the insulating capability of fur. Thus, wind was a more important driver than air temperature and relative humidity. Thermal windows were identified in 49% of the Weddell seals studied and occurred more frequently at higher air temperatures. The development of thermal windows could solve the problem of overheating when seals haul out on land, which is particularly relevant under the warming scenario within the western Antarctic Peninsula.</p>","PeriodicalId":20362,"journal":{"name":"Polar Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Patterns of surface temperature and link to environmental variables in Weddell seals from the western Antarctic Peninsula\",\"authors\":\"Nicole Vargas, Maritza Sepúlveda, Alicia I. Guerrero\",\"doi\":\"10.1007/s00300-024-03258-5\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p>Pinnipeds face challenges in maintaining a stable body temperature in two mediums with distinct characteristics: the terrestrial and aquatic environments. Water extracts heat faster than air, so pinnipeds possess adaptations to maintain thermal balance in both environments. When exiting the water, some phocid species develop thermal windows, areas on the body surface displaying higher temperatures than the rest of the body. This mechanism is thought to help in dissipating excess heat from the body. We assessed whether Weddell seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>), the southernmost distributed marine mammal, had the capacity to develop thermal windows and investigated the relationship between thermal surface patterns and environmental factors. We obtained infrared images of 45 hauled-out Weddell seals within the western Antarctic Peninsula, during the summer season. Weddell seals presented uniform surface temperatures across body regions (head, torso, front flipper, and hind flipper) suggesting that all body parts have an equal role in keeping thermal balance. The main driver of surface temperature was wind speed, with higher wind speeds resulting in lower surface temperatures. Wind facilitates convective heat transfer to the environment, decreasing the insulating capability of fur. Thus, wind was a more important driver than air temperature and relative humidity. Thermal windows were identified in 49% of the Weddell seals studied and occurred more frequently at higher air temperatures. The development of thermal windows could solve the problem of overheating when seals haul out on land, which is particularly relevant under the warming scenario within the western Antarctic Peninsula.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":20362,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Polar Biology\",\"volume\":\"37 1\",\"pages\":\"\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":1.5000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-05-11\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Polar Biology\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"93\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-024-03258-5\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"环境科学与生态学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q3\",\"JCRName\":\"BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Polar Biology","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-024-03258-5","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
Patterns of surface temperature and link to environmental variables in Weddell seals from the western Antarctic Peninsula
Pinnipeds face challenges in maintaining a stable body temperature in two mediums with distinct characteristics: the terrestrial and aquatic environments. Water extracts heat faster than air, so pinnipeds possess adaptations to maintain thermal balance in both environments. When exiting the water, some phocid species develop thermal windows, areas on the body surface displaying higher temperatures than the rest of the body. This mechanism is thought to help in dissipating excess heat from the body. We assessed whether Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), the southernmost distributed marine mammal, had the capacity to develop thermal windows and investigated the relationship between thermal surface patterns and environmental factors. We obtained infrared images of 45 hauled-out Weddell seals within the western Antarctic Peninsula, during the summer season. Weddell seals presented uniform surface temperatures across body regions (head, torso, front flipper, and hind flipper) suggesting that all body parts have an equal role in keeping thermal balance. The main driver of surface temperature was wind speed, with higher wind speeds resulting in lower surface temperatures. Wind facilitates convective heat transfer to the environment, decreasing the insulating capability of fur. Thus, wind was a more important driver than air temperature and relative humidity. Thermal windows were identified in 49% of the Weddell seals studied and occurred more frequently at higher air temperatures. The development of thermal windows could solve the problem of overheating when seals haul out on land, which is particularly relevant under the warming scenario within the western Antarctic Peninsula.
期刊介绍:
Polar Biology publishes Original Papers, Reviews, and Short Notes and is the focal point for biologists working in polar regions. It is also of interest to scientists working in biology in general, ecology and physiology, as well as in oceanography and climatology related to polar life. Polar Biology presents results of studies in plants, animals, and micro-organisms of marine, limnic and terrestrial habitats in polar and subpolar regions of both hemispheres.
Taxonomy/ Biogeography
Life History
Spatio-temporal Patterns in Abundance and Diversity
Ecological Interactions
Trophic Ecology
Ecophysiology/ Biochemistry of Adaptation
Biogeochemical Pathways and Cycles
Ecological Models
Human Impact/ Climate Change/ Conservation