Seasonal variation and food deprivation in common vampire bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)



Document title: Seasonal variation and food deprivation in common vampire bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)
Journal: Brazilian journal of biology
Database: PERIÓDICA
System number: 000275987
ISSN: 1519-6984
Authors: 1

Institutions: 1Universidade de Brasilia, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Brasilia, Distrito Federal. Brasil
Year:
Season: Nov
Volumen: 66
Number: 4
Pages: 1051-1055
Country: Brasil
Language: Inglés
Document type: Artículo
Approach: Experimental, analítico
English abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of seasonal variation and fasting on fat reserves of the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus. Plasma free fatty acids (FFA), along with lipid content of the liver and muscles, and fatty acids from the carcass were obtained from bats fed bovine blood and from whom food was subsequently withheld for 24 and 48 h. Animals were caught during both dry and rainy seasons. In general, fat tissue stores were not significantly influenced by seasonal variation. Lipid content of liver, muscles, and carcass decreased during some food deprivation periods, although the concomitant increase expected in plasma FFA was not observed. Lipid metabolism is hypothesized as being continued by the tissues themselves. In addition, free access to food sources (e.g., domestic livestock) throughout the year is believed to contribute to the low seasonal variations in fat reserves observed in the common vampire bat
Portuguese abstract Os efeitos da variação sazonal e do jejum sobre as reservas lipídicas do morcego vampiro comum (Desmodus rotundus) foram investigadas a fim de se estabelecer o padrão do metabolismo de lipídios da espécie e possíveis alterações sazonais. Foram determinadas as concentrações de Ácidos Graxos Livres (AGL) e o conteúdo lipídico no fígado, músculos e na carcaça de animais alimentados (sangue bovino) e jejuados por 24 e 48 h, capturados durante as estações seca e chuvosa. Em geral, os depósitos lipídicos teciduais não apresentaram variações significativas em resposta às diferentes estações. As reservas de gordura diminuíram, no entanto, em resposta ao jejum, apesar de não ter sido observado nenhum aumento simultâneo dos AGL no plasma, aumento que normalmente indica mobilização lipídica. O metabolismo lipídico nestes tecidos parece importante para as necessidades energéticas dos próprios tecidos. Fatores como abundância e facilidade de acesso às presas (bovinos) podem estar contribuindo para a baixa variabilidade sazonal das reservas lipídicas teciduais
Disciplines: Biología
Keyword: Fisiología animal,
Mamíferos,
Desmodus rotundus,
Variación estacional,
Vampiros,
Metabolismo,
Lípidos,
Chiroptera
Keyword: Biology,
Animal physiology,
Mammals,
Seasonal variation,
Vampires,
Lipids,
Metabolism,
Desmodus rotundus,
Chiroptera
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