Meeting Abstract
P1.215 Wednesday, Jan. 4 Different diet does not affect thermal preferences and daily energy expenditure of golden and Siberian hamsters JEFIMOW, M*; GUTOWSKI, JP; WOJCIECHOWSKI , MS; Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, POLAND; Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, POLAND; Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, POLAND jefimow@umk.pl
To test the prediction that the degree of dietary fat unsaturation affects thermal preferences and daily energy expenditure of animals we measured oxygen consumption of golden and Siberian hamsters in a thermal gradient system. Animals were housed under semi-natural conditions of Central Poland and fed standard food supplemented with mealworms (M-Group) or with sunflower and flax seeds (S-Group). In winter (December) we measured oxygen consumption of hamsters placed in a thermal gradient system where ambient temperature (Ta) ranged between 5 and 45 °C. Mean mass-specific daily (24h) energy expenditure (DEE/mb) of Siberian hamsters from M-Group and S-Group was the same (1.09±0.19 and 1.08±0.09kJ/g, respectively). In golden hamsters mean DEE/mb was 0.72±0.18 and 0.79±0.10 kJ/g, in M-Group and S-Group, respectively. In Siberian hamsters mean Ta selected in the thermal gradient system was 28.8±2.8 °C in M-Group and 27.3±2.2 °C in S-Group (p>0.05). In golden hamsters these values were 29.7±2.3 °C and 28.2±2.7 °C, respectively (p>0.05). Mass-specific metabolic rate (MR/mb) was not affected by dietary supplements and equalled 12.6±2.2 and 12.5±1.1 mW/g in M- and S-Group of Siberian hamsters and 8.4±2.1 and 9.1±1.2 mW/g in M- and S-Group of golden hamsters (p>0.05). We did not record day-night differences in DEE/mb, selected Ta and MR/mb in either Siberian or golden hamsters. These results suggest that dietary fat unsaturation does not affect thermal preferences and daily energy expenditure of Siberian and golden hamsters. This work was supported by a grant from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education [N N303 347535].
