Sensory deficits related to pregnancy could impair foraging in echolocating bats, finds a study published in BMCBiology.
Little is known about the effects of pregnancy on sensing in mammals. In this study, we reveal an additional impact of gestation on echolocation in bats. Our findings suggest that pregnancy imposes a sensory cost that may negatively impact the bats’ foraging behavior. The deficits that we observed in sensing are mostly relevant for animals that rely on active sensing, which requires muscular activity such as sound emission.
], ensuring that they were not pregnant. Pregnant females were captured in April and underwent an ultrasound scan to validate their condition both upon arrival and prior to release.bats often give birth to twins, and within our group of six bats at least four of the females were pregnant with twins, as revealed in the ultrasound . During the experiment, one of the bats miscarried a single embryo, but we were unable to determine which bat it was.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
One killed and 15 injured in blast at Russian cafeBREAKING: An explosion at a cafe in Russia has reportedly killed one person and injured six others.
Lire la suite »
Defunct comms link connected to nothing – for 15 yearsRealization they'd burned money for ages led to smoldering solution rather than angry conflagration
Lire la suite »
Two boys 15 and 16 arrested after teen stabbedThe boy was taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition
Lire la suite »
Apple's rumoured iPhone 15 charging port is causing controversyIs Apple really planning to violate EU law?
Lire la suite »
Apple iPhone 15: from specs to design, everything we knowApple's iPhone 15 could shake things up...
Lire la suite »
Non-invasive measurements of respiration and heart rate across wildlife species using Eulerian Video Magnification of infrared thermal imagery - BMC BiologyBackground An animal’s metabolic rate, or energetic expenditure, both impacts and is impacted by interactions with its environment. However, techniques for obtaining measurements of metabolic rate are invasive, logistically difficult, and costly. Red–green–blue (RGB) imaging tools have been used in humans and select domestic mammals to accurately measure heart and respiration rate, as proxies of metabolic rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate if infrared thermography (IRT) coupled with Eulerian video magnification (EVM) would extend the applicability of imaging tools towards measuring vital rates in exotic wildlife species with different physical attributes. Results We collected IRT and RGB video of 52 total species (39 mammalian, 7 avian, 6 reptilian) from 36 taxonomic families at zoological institutions and used EVM to amplify subtle changes in temperature associated with blood flow for respiration and heart rate measurements. IRT-derived respiration and heart rates were compared to ‘true’ measurements determined simultaneously by expansion of the ribcage/nostrils and stethoscope readings, respectively. Sufficient temporal signals were extracted for measures of respiration rate in 36 species (85% success in mammals; 50% success in birds; 100% success in reptiles) and heart rate in 24 species (67% success in mammals; 33% success in birds; 0% success in reptiles) using IRT-EVM. Infrared-derived measurements were obtained with high accuracy (respiration rate, mean absolute error: 1.9 breaths per minute, average percent error: 4.4%; heart rate, mean absolute error: 2.6 beats per minute, average percent error: 1.3%). Thick integument and animal movement most significantly hindered successful validation. Conclusion The combination of IRT with EVM analysis provides a non-invasive method to assess individual animal health in zoos, with great potential to monitor wildlife metabolic indices in situ.
Lire la suite »