Metabolic Flexibility: Hibernation, Torpor, and Estivation

摘要: Many environmental conditions can constrain the ability of animals to obtain sufficient food energy, or transform that energy into useful chemical forms. To survive extended periods under such must suppress metabolic rate conserve water, oxygen. Amongst small endotherms, this suppression is accompanied by and, in some cases, facilitated a decrease core body temperature-hibernation daily torpor-though significant be achieved even with only modest cooling. Within ectotherms, winter exceeds passive effects During dry seasons, estivating ectotherms reduce metabolism without changes temperature, conserving reserves, and reducing gas exchange its inevitable loss water vapor. This overview explores similarities differences among these states within adult (excluding developmental diapause), integrates levels organization from whole animal genome, where possible. Several are highlighted, including patterns regulation balance, fuel use, mitochondrial metabolism. Differences models also apparent, particularly whether intrinsic tissue depends on whole-animal response. While hypometabolic states, tissues many tolerant hypoxia/anoxia, ischemia/reperfusion, disuse. These natural may, therefore, serve as valuable instructive for biomedical research.