Meeting Abstract
Characterizing the physiological response to prolonged cold exposure in ectotherms is essential in understanding the maintenance of long-term energy balance. As global climatic patterns continue to change, it becomes increasingly important to quantify the thermal reaction norms of metabolic and hormonal function during periods of hibernation and inactivity. Furthermore, little is known about the drivers of individual variation in physiological responses to sustained cold temperatures. Here we used the checkered garter snake, a widespread ectothermic vertebrate, to test the influence of maternal effects, rearing conditions, and immediate thermal environment on metabolism and physiology during a cooling phase. In this experiment we analyzed the effects of parental nutrition, and developmental thermal regime on thermal response curves of oxygen consumption rate, plasma corticosterone concentration and plasma glucose concentration during a temperature step-down protocol (20, 15, 10, and 5°C) simulating the descent into hibernation followed by an extended period of prolonged hibernation at 5°C. We will discuss these results in the broader context of mechanisms that maintain physiological functionality and survival during seasonal periods of inactivity in a temperate ectotherm.
