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Functional histology of the skin in the subterranean African giant mole-rat: thermal windows are determined solely by pelage characteristics
- Source :
- PeerJ, PeerJ, Vol 8, p e8883 (2020)
- Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Excavation of burrows is an extremely physically demanding activity producing a large amount of metabolic heat. Dissipation of its surplus is crucial to avoid the risk of overheating, but in subterranean mammals it is complicated due to the absence of notable body extremities and high humidity in their burrows. IR-thermography in a previous study on two species of African mole-rats revealed that body heat was dissipated mainly through the ventral body part, which is notably less furred. Here, we analyzed the dorsal and ventral skin morphology, to test if dermal characteristics could contribute to higher heat dissipation through the ventral body part. The thickness of the epidermis and dermis and the presence, extent and connectivity of fat tissue in the dermis were examined using routine histological methods, while vascular density was evaluated using fluorescent dye and confocal microscopy in the giant mole-ratFukomys mechowii. As in other hitherto studied subterranean mammals, no subcutaneous adipose tissue was found. All examined skin characteristics were very similar for both dorsal and ventral regions: relative content of adipose tissue in the dermis (14.4 ± 3.7% dorsally and 11.0 ± 4.0% ventrally), connectivity of dermal fat (98.5 ± 2.8% and 95.5 ± 6.8%), vascular density (26.5 ± 3.3% and 22.7 ± 2.3%). Absence of large differences in measured characteristics between particular body regions indicates that the thermal windows are determined mainly by the pelage characteristics.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Histology
lcsh:Medicine
Fat layer
Adipose tissue
Thermal management of electronic devices and systems
Metabolic heat
Thermoregulation
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
03 medical and health sciences
Dermis
ddc:590
Mole
medicine
Bathyergidae
Dermal fat
Subterranean
Heat dissipation
030304 developmental biology
0303 health sciences
Chemistry
General Neuroscience
lcsh:R
Vascularization
General Medicine
Anatomy
Mole-rat
medicine.anatomical_structure
Body region
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Zoology
Skin morphology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PeerJ, PeerJ, Vol 8, p e8883 (2020)
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....43b2e11878848240711f59e8bb538e40