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Abstract: Ctenomys talarum is a subterranean herbivorous rodent which due to its particular life style is frequently exposed to variations in surface environmental conditions (i.e. food quality and availability, temperature). Thus, unlike other subterranean rodents, C. talarum has to buffer both the surface and burrow challenging environmental conditions. We studied the occurrence of digestive strategies at different levels of C. talarum living in their natural habitat. We determined the dimensions of different parts of the gastrointestinal tract and organs along as the activity of key digestive enzymes (disaccharidase, N-aminopeptidase) in different parts of the gut in individuals seasonally caught. The results show that C. talarum exhibits characteristics in the gut at the biochemical level (high disaccharidase activities in small intestine, high N-aminopeptidase activity in the caecum and large intestine, and a seasonal differential modulation of N-aminopeptidase activity in small and large intestines), which could represent adaptive strategies to face seasonal variations in key environmental factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We studied the responses in the omnivorous rodent A. azarae submitted to a low quality diet at morphological, physiological and biochemical levels. At short term, a decrease in body mass occurred. A later increase in food consumption constituted a strategy that allowed a temporal recovery of physical condition. However, hyperphagia appeared not to be enough to maintain physical condition after 30 days of low quality diet consumption. At the morphological level, an increase in length (9%) of the anterior portion of the gut occurred, the part of the gut where digestion and absorption take place. A decrease in small intestine weight could be related with the long-term impairment of body condition. Inhibition of sucrase specific activity in small intestine would indicate a down-regulation of sucrase–isomaltase complex. Total maltase specific activity in small intestine was not affected suggesting an up-regulation of sucrase-independent maltase specific activity. A down-regulation of protease specific activity in small intestine occurred in response to low quality diet. The specific activity of disaccharidases in caecum and large intestine was down-regulated. The strategies and constraints at different levels of A. azarae upon low quality diet are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have determined the occurrence of responses at different levels (morphological, physiological and biochemical) in the omnivorous rodent Akodon azarae upon cold acclimation (15 °C). A short-term enhancement in food consumption appeared to account for the maintenance of both mass and body composition. At the morphological level, the main response was an increase in the dimensions of small intestine, which constitutes the section of the gut where absorption and secretion take place. An increase in sucrase specific activity was only found in small intestine. Sucrose independent maltase activity was very low since 99.8% of total maltase activity was due to sucrase–isomaltase (SI) complex. Protease specific activities were not affected. The fact that resting metabolic rates determined at 15 and 23 °C were similar in cold acclimated animals suggests a change in lower critical temperature. In conclusion, our results show that A. azarae exhibits different strategies to support cold environment that could lead to an enhancement in digestion and absorption efficiency. Furthermore, this work suggests that low temperature is an independent cue of other environmental factors to trigger the strategies allowing the maintenance of body condition in A. azarae. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]