Department of Biology, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang 157012, China

Abstract [Objective] The study aimed to determine oxygen consumption of Erinaceus europaeus at different temperatures to accumulate basic data for the protection and deep discuss of Erinaceus europaeus. [Method] By using the improved close respiration apparatus, the time spent by animals consuming a unit volume of oxygen was recorded by the improved close respiration apparatus to estimate oxygen consumption of Erinaceus europaeus at 20, 25 and 30 ℃ respectively. [Result] When the temperature varied from 20 to 30 ℃, the oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate of Erinaceus europaeus reduced with the increase of external temperature on the whole. The weight of Erinaceus europaeus had no obvious relation with its oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate. In addition, the temperature had linear regression relationships with the oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate of Erinaceus europaeus, that is, the linear regression equation between oxygen consumption (x₀) (ml/h) and temperature (t) was x₀=658.81-14.98t, and the equation between oxygen consumption rate (Q₀) [L/(kg·h)] and temperature (t) was Q₀=827.94-19.52t. [Conclusion] The metabolic rate of Erinaceus europaeus changed with environmental temperature, and 20 ℃ was more suitable for its growth, conforming with the fact that it is active just at night.

Key words Erinaceus europaeus; Oxygen consumption; Oxygen consumption rate    

 

Received: March 19  Accepted: June 25, 2012

*Corresponding author.

Tel:13069822281; E-mail: jinzhiminmdj@sina.com

 

Erinaceus europaeus is belong to Mammalia, Insectivora, Erinaceidae, and there are thorns covering its body and hair on its head, tail and belly, with sharp and long mouth as well as short tail; it is a plantigrade animal, and both front and back feet have five toes except few species whose front foot have four toes; the number of teeth is 36-44, and all teeth are sharp, so it is a insectivorous animal. In addition, when it is frightened, all thorns are erect, and its head and four feet are wrapped in its round body. Erinaceus europaeus perch in mountains, forests, grasslands, farmland, shrubberies and so forth, and it is active just at night to eat small animals, plants as well as melon and fruit sometimes. Additionally, it hibernates. In the field, it mainly eat invertebrates, small vertebrates, grass roots, melon and fruit. Erinaceus europaeus can farrow 1-2 times every year, and average litter size are 3-6. Moreover, it is adaptable, docile and cute, and it is unable to bite people at will, so juvenile and children dote on it deeply, and it has become a common house pet. In addition, the species has been included in the List of National Protected Terrestrial Wildlife Being Useful or with Important Economic and Scientific Values issued by the State Forestry Administration on August 1, 2000. At present, the breeding ecology and resource investigation of have been studied. The skins and thorns of Erinaceus europaeus have medicinal value, so captive breeding is common, but there are few reports on the foundation physiology of Erinaceus europaeus. Here, the oxygen consumption of Erinaceus europaeus at different temperatures was determined, so as to accumulate basic data for the protection and deep discuss of the species. 

1.1. Animals All 12 Erinaceus europaeus catched from the surrounding area of Mudanjiang City were fed for two weeks in the animal laboratory of Department of Biology, Mudanjiang Normal University at 20-30 ℃, and then they were used in the test. Erinaceus europaeus were divided into three classes, namely, adult (above 1 000 g), subadult (800-999 g) and juvenile (below 800 g).

1.2. Materials and instruments The chief materials and instruments included a 65 cm×95 cm×85 cm rearing cage, improved close respiration apparatus and its attached devices^[1-3], balance, stopwatch, wire cages, thermographs, constant-temperature flumes, injector and a certain amount of NaOH.

1.3. Methods Based on the principle that energy metabolism of animals can be measured by using the indirect calorimetry, the time spent by animals consuming a unit volume of oxygen was recorded by the improved close respiration apparatus to estimate oxygen consumption of animals. Oxygen consumption rate (Q₀) was the oxygen consumption per unit mass every hour, with a unit of L/(kg·h), while the volume of oxygen consumed by each Erinaceus europaeus in an hour was named oxygen consumption (x₀), with a unit of ml/h, which was obtained based on the time spent by each Erinaceus europaeus consuming 20 ml of oxygen recorded by the improved close respiration apparatus. The temperature of respiratory room was controlled by water bath, and temperature error was kept within 1 ℃; NaOH was used to absorb water and CO₂ in the respiration room; after fasting for 4 h, all animals were put in the cages. After the animals in cages were kept in the respiration room for 1 h, the test began to record the time spent by each Erinaceus europaeus consumed 20 ml of oxygen shown by the improved close respiration apparatus. 6 data were obtained at each temperature, and then the average of 5-6 continuous stable values was changed into oxygen consumption within 1 h.   

Data of both oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate were processed through t test and regression analysis. The relationship of temperature and weight with oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate was analyzed^[4-5] to obtain the optimal regression equations and draw regression curves. All data were represented by the Mean±SE.

2.1. Relation of weight with oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate As shown in Table 1, there were great differences in the weight of Erinaceus europaeus at various temperatures, as well as the oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate. At the same temperature, juvenile had a higher oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate, which might be related to their development. In addition, the oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate of Erinaceus europaeus went down as the increase of temperature, reflecting that high temperatures were unfavorable for Erinaceus europaeus growth possibly, and it was an adaptable reaction of Erinaceus europaeus to dodge high temperatures, because Erinaceus europaeus is hibernating animals. It is suggested that Erinaceus europaeus was taking food or conducing other activities when oxygen consumption was high. Thus, based on meeting the physiological demands of Erinaceus europaeus, it could be fed as oxygen consumption was high, which would be beneficial for the improvement of feed utilization and Erinaceus europaeus growth. In addition, the oxygen consumption of Erinaceus europaeus rose with the increase of weight at 30 ℃, and the more the increase of weight, the larger the oxygen consumption used for growth; compared with the oxygen consumption, the oxygen consumption rate of Erinaceus europaeus showed a contrary trend.  

 

Temperature //℃	Number of animals	Average weight //g	Oxygen consumption（x0）//ml/h	Oxygen consumption rate（Q0） //L/（kg·h）	Average of 12 Erinaceus europaeus
					Oxygen consumption（x 0）//ml/h	Oxygen consumption rate（Q0） //L/（kg·h）
20	3	674.4±23.4	451.07±49.23	669.24±73.04	266.86±83.38	448.29±185.34
	7	814.5±11.8	322.91±71.06	444.78±97.88
	2	1 248.5±12.1	333.33±67.13	267.09±53.79
25	3	674.4±23.4	283.04±75.91	419.94±112.63	269.25±57.68	318.77±105.55
	7	814.5±11.8	236.97±25.27	326.40±34.81
	2	1 248.5±12.1	284.67±57.81	228.10±46.32
30	3	674.4±23.4	196.65±32.63	291.78±48.42	217.11±58.49	253.14±68.20
	7	814.5±11.8	206.83±15.74	284.89±21.69
	2	1 248.5±12.1	242.73±88.90	194.49±71.23

2.2. Relationship of temperature with oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate The relation between temperature (t) and oxygen consumption (x₀)conformed with the equations x₀=658.81-14.98t. As shown in Table 1, with the increase of temperature between 20 and 30 ℃, the oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate of Erinaceus europaeus showed decreasing trends on the whole. Additionally, the decreasing rate varied with the increase of temperature, that is, the reduction at 25-30 ℃ was more obvious than that at 20-25 ℃. When temperature is lower than 20 ℃ or higher than 30 ℃, no Erinaceus europaeus can be found in the wild. However, the extremely temperatures above were not set in the test, and the oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate of Erinaceus europaeus at these temperatures need to be studied further.

Temperature is the main factor influencing in metabolism process and the activity of various components for most animals. In the test, the oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption rate of Erinaceus europaeus reduced with the increase of external temperature, conforming with the physiological characteristics of hibernating animals, but the decreasing rate changed with the enhancement of temperature. It may be because that as the improvement of external temperature, the activity of brain, heart, liver and other tissues or organs maintaining life decreased, as well as enzyme activity, and the basal metabolism weakened; on the other hand, there was a most suitable temperature for enzyme reactions, and enzyme activity would decrease when temperature exceeded the most suitable temperature, slowing down metabolism.      

 

This work was supported by the NaturalScience Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China (C201038) and the Project of University Innovative Research Team of Heilongjiang Province, China (The Research on Mechanism and Control Technology of Forest Rodents Population Crash).

 

JIN Zhi-min (1972-), male, P.R. China, Master, associate professor, engaging in zoology teaching and study.