Resposta termofílica pós-prandial do sapo-cururu, Rhinella diptycha

• Autor(a) principal: Clemente, Amanda Copriva [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Tipo de documento: Trabalho de conclusão de curso
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/11449/203783; http://www.athena.biblioteca.unesp.br/exlibris/bd/capelo/2020-02-27/000927267.pdf
• topic: Sapos; Animais - Comportamento; Anuro; Anfíbio - Fisiologia; Temperatura corporal - Regulação; Digestão

Ectothermal animals depend primarily on behavioral adjustments coupled with the exploration of external heat sources to regulate body temperature (Tb). In addition, Tb variations can significantly affect the physiology of ectothermic organisms influencing important aspects of their reproduction, metabolism, feeding and digestion, among others. Thus, thermoregulation is a central aspect of the biology of ectothermal animals. In ectothermalvertebrates it is common for animals to have a preference for a particular temperature or temperature range, which is called the preferred body temperature (Tpref). This preference, however, can be altered in function of external factors or the condition of the animals. For example, fed animals generally exhibit an increase in Tpref - referred to a postprandial thermophilic response - which potentially improves food digestion performance. This response is relatively well documented in Squamata, but among anuran amphibians, information on its occurrence, magnitude and possible determinants is scarce. Thus, in the present study, we investigated whether the cururu toad, Rhinella diptycha, changes its thermal preference after being fed with a prey with a mass equivalent to 15% of its body mass. For this, fed and fasted animals were maintained for eight consecutive days in a thermal gradient with temperatures ranging from 15ºC to 30ºC. During this period, the Tb of the frogs was continuously monitored with temperature sensors (iButtons®) implanted intraperitoneally. The Tpref values of the fed animals increased to levels significantly higher than the Tpref values of fasted animals on the second day after feeding and that difference was maintained until the end of the experiments. The occurrence of a postprandial thermophilic response in R. diptycha indicates that this species is able to adjust its thermoregulatory behavior as a function of feed, possibly improving digestion efficiency