CLIMATE AND RESOURCE DETERMINANTS OF FUNDAMENTAL AND REALIZED METABOLIC NICHES OF HIBERNATING CHIPMUNKS

• DOI: 10.1890/08-0121.1
• Publication Date: 2008-12-09T16:36:35Z
• Authors: M. Landry-Cuerrier; D. Munro; D. W. Thomas; M. M. Humphries
• Keywords: Torpor; Hibernation

Torpor is a reversible reduction in endotherm body temperature and metabolic rate. Because torpid endotherms can attain lower temperatures colder environments, minimum torpor metabolism generally increases with rising air whereas euthermic declines temperature. As result, the fundamental niche of that express should be driven by climate broadest environments. On other hand, if serves primarily as an energy conservation strategy its expression influenced availability, then realized defined resources. To evaluate influence resource on use hibernating mammals, we monitored free‐ranging eastern chipmunks ( Tamias striatus ) over two winters varying abundance. In low‐food year, soil constrained maximum but was too invariant across small spatial scales to explain individual variation expression. high‐food drastically reduced, local density seed‐producing trees predicted fine‐scale Thus, cold environments broad climate, highly variable among individuals years determined