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Oscillating heat flow from rabbit's pinna.

F S Mohler¹, J E Heath

¹Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.

The American Journal of Physiology

|September 1, 1988

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New Zealand White rabbits exhibit spontaneous, synchronous thermal pulsing in their ear pinnae, suggesting a controlled thermoregulatory mechanism. This study characterizes these vasomotor oscillations and their role in heat loss.

Area of Science:

Physiology
Thermoregulation
Animal Biology

Background:

The pinnae of rabbit ears are involved in thermoregulation.
Vasomotor oscillations are rhythmic changes in blood vessel diameter.
Understanding these oscillations is key to understanding heat exchange in rabbits.

Purpose of the Study:

To measure and characterize the thermal properties of rabbit ear pinnae.
To investigate spontaneous vasomotor oscillations in rabbit pinnae.
To explore the thermoregulatory role of these oscillations.

Main Methods:

Infrared imaging system used to measure ear pinna surface temperature.
Analysis of temperature fluctuations to characterize vasomotor oscillations.
Calculation of heat loss based on mean pinna temperatures.

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Main Results:

Spontaneous vasomotor oscillations were observed in all rabbits at 20°C ambient temperature.
Thermal pulsing had a mean frequency of ~0.025 Hz and amplitude of ~0.35°C.
Oscillations were synchronous between the two pinnae of individual rabbits.

Conclusions:

Rabbit ear pinna vasomotor oscillations are likely an active, controlled thermoregulatory process.
These oscillations play a role in regulating heat loss from the ears.
Further research can explore the precise control mechanisms of this thermoregulatory behavior.