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Establishing a Device for Sleep Deprivation in Mice
Published on: September 22, 2023
Lower extinction risk in sleep-or-hide mammals.
Lee Hsiang Liow1, Mikael Fortelius, Kari Lintulaakso
1Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway. l.h.liow@bio.uio.no
The American Naturalist
|April 9, 2010
Summary
Mammals that sleep or hide (SLOH) using behaviors like hibernation or burrowing are less likely to face extinction. This protective behavior, even when accounting for other factors, significantly lowers extinction risk for mammal species.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Zoology
Background:
- Accelerating environmental change is increasing mismatches between organisms and their environments, leading to population declines.
- Species with behavioral or physiological traits offering environmental shelter are predicted to be less vulnerable to population declines.
- Understanding these protective traits is crucial for predicting species' vulnerability to extinction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sleep-or-hide (SLOH) behavior and extinction risk in mammal species.
- To determine if SLOH behavior buffers mammals against population declines in the face of environmental change.
- To assess the contribution of SLOH behavior to conservation status, independent of other known protective factors.
Main Methods:
- Coded 4,536 living mammal species for sleep-or-hide (SLOH) behaviors, including hibernation, torpor, and burrow use.
- Analyzed the representation of SLOH species in high-risk International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categories.
- Employed phylogenetically independent contrasts to ensure robustness of findings, accounting for evolutionary relationships.
Main Results:
- Species exhibiting SLOH behavior were found to be underrepresented in high-risk IUCN Red List categories.
- SLOH behavior was demonstrated to significantly lower extinction risk, even after controlling for factors like geographic range and body size.
- The protective effect of SLOH behavior on extinction risk remained robust across different analytical approaches.
Conclusions:
- Sleep-or-hide behavior, supported by physiological adaptations for reduced metabolic rates, enhances mammal survival during extinction crises.
- Mammals utilizing SLOH behaviors demonstrate a greater capacity to withstand environmental stress and fluctuating conditions.
- SLOH behavior is a critical trait for mammalian resilience, offering protection against both current and potentially past extinction events.
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