ArticleFrontiers in zoology2023
Food availability positively affects the survival and somatic maintenance of hibernating garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus).
Article in Frontiers in zoology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genomic signatures of population isolation in an endangered European rodent.BMC genomics · 2026Article
- Unpredictable warm spells in winter increase blood cortisol level but lengthen telomeres in a seasonal rodentProceedings. Biological sciences · 2025Article
- Reduced Body Mass in a Highly Insectivorous Mammal, the Garden Dormouse-Ecological Consequences of Insect Decline?Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Food deprivation is associated with telomere elongation during hibernation in a primate.Biology letters · 2025Article
- Direct and indirect effects of climate and seed dynamics on the breeding performance of a seed predator at the distribution edge.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Telomere dynamics during hibernation in a tropical primate.Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology · 2024Article
- The endangered common hamster needs proteins: identifying diversified crop-based diets improving hibernation and reproductive success.Conservation physiology · 2024Article
- Editorial: Torpor and hibernation: metabolic and physiological paradigms.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Article
- Seasonal variation in telomerase activity and telomere dynamics in a hibernating rodent, the garden dormouse (Frontiers in physiology · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTorpor is an energy saving strategy achieved by substantial reductions of metabolic rate and body temperature that enables animals to survive periods of low resource availability. During hibernation (multiday torpor), the frequency of periodic rewarming-characterised by high levels of oxidative stress-is associated with shortening of telomeres, a marker of somatic maintenance.
objectivesIn this study, we determined the impact of ambient temperature on feeding behaviour and telomere dynamics in hibernating garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus) over winter. This obligate hibernator prepares for hibernation by accumulating fat stores but can also feed during hibernation. METHODOLOGY: Food intake, torpor pattern, changes in telomere length, and body mass change were assessed in animals housed at experimentally controlled temperatures of either 14 °C (i.e., a mild winter) or 3 °C (i.e., a cold winter) over 6 months.
resultsWhen hibernating at 14 °C, dormice experienced 1.7-fold more frequent and 2.4-fold longer inter-bout euthermia, and spent significantly less time torpid, compared to animals hibernating at 3 °C. Higher food intake enabled individuals to compensate for increased energetic costs when hibernating at milder temperatures (14 °C vs. 3 °C), to buffer body mass loss and thus increase winter survival. Interestingly, we observed a significant increase of telomere length over the entire hibernation period, irrespective of temperature treatment.
conclusionWe conclude that higher temperatures during winter, if associated with sufficient food availability, can have a positive effect on the individual's energy balance and somatic maintenance. These results suggest that winter food availability might be a crucial determinant for the survival of the garden dormouse in the context of ever-increasing environmental temperatures.
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