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Cool echidnas survive the fire.

Julia Nowack1, Christine Elizabeth Cooper2, Fritz Geiser3

  • 1Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia jnowack@une.edu.au.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mammals may have survived ancient fires by entering torpor, a state of reduced body temperature and activity. This energy-conserving strategy, observed in echidnas after a prescribed burn, could explain mammalian survival during the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction event.

Keywords:
activitybody temperaturefood reductionprescribed burntorpor

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Ecology
  • Zoology

Background:

  • Fires have historically impacted ecosystems, notably the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary event which caused mass extinctions.
  • A recent hypothesis suggests ancestral mammals survived K-Pg fires by utilizing energy-conserving torpor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of heterothermy and torpor in mammalian survival following fire events.
  • To test the hypothesis that torpor was crucial for mammalian survival at the K-Pg boundary.

Main Methods:

  • Studied body temperature fluctuations and activity patterns of echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) before, during, and after a prescribed burn.
  • Monitored echidna behavior and physiological responses in a fire-affected habitat.

Main Results:

  • Echidnas exhibited reduced body temperature and inactivity during and after the prescribed fire, with most individuals surviving.
  • Post-fire, echidnas maintained their territories, reducing mean body temperature and activity to conserve energy in the altered landscape.

Conclusions:

  • Heterothermy and torpor enable mammals to endure harsh post-fire conditions by minimizing energy expenditure and allowing extended inactivity.
  • Torpor likely played a significant role in mammalian resilience and survival in fire-prone environments, including the K-Pg boundary period.