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Net superoxide levels: steeper increase with activity in cooler female and hotter male lizards
Citation
Ballen, C and Healey, M and Wilson, M and Tobler, M and Wapstra, E and Olsson, M, Net superoxide levels: steeper increase with activity in cooler female and hotter male lizards, Journal of Experimental Biology, 215, (5) pp. 731-735. ISSN 0022-0949 (2012) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2012 The Company of Biologists Ltd
Abstract
Ectotherms increase their body temperature in response to ambient heat, thereby elevating their metabolic rate. An often inferred
consequence of this is an overall upregulation of gene expression and energetic expenditure, and a concomitant increased
production of reactive oxygen species (e.g. superoxide) and, perhaps, a shortened lifespan. However, recent work shows that this
may be a superficial interpretation. For example, sometimes a reduced temperature may in fact trigger up-regulation of gene
expression. We studied temperature and associated activity effects in male and female Australian painted dragon lizards
(Ctenophorus pictus) by allowing the lizards to bask for 4ハh versus12ハh, and scoring their associated activity (inactive versus
active basking and foraging). As predicted, long-basking lizards (hereafter ʻhotʼ) showed heightened activity in both sexes, with a
more pronounced effect in females. We then tested for sex-specific effects of basking treatment and activity levels on the increase
in net levels of superoxide. In males, short-baskers (hereafter ʻcoldʼ) had significantly more rapidly decreasing levels of
superoxide per unit increasing activity than hot males. In females, however, superoxide levels increased faster with increasing
activity in the cold than in the hot basking treatment, and females earlier in the ovarian cycle had lower superoxide levels than
females closer to ovulation. In short, males and females differ in how their levels of reactive oxygen species change with
temperature-triggered activity.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
---|---|
Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
Research Group: | Zoology |
Research Field: | Animal physiology - systems |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments |
Objective Field: | Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems |
UTAS Author: | Wapstra, E (Associate Professor Erik Wapstra) |
ID Code: | 77448 |
Year Published: | 2012 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 7 |
Deposited By: | Zoology |
Deposited On: | 2012-04-16 |
Last Modified: | 2017-11-01 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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