Adaptive physiological mechanisms in the underground dwellers

Abstract

The underground ecotope is unique and stressful in many aspects (for review see, e.g., Nevo 1999; Burda et al., this volume), and physiological adaptations - although less conspicuous than morphological adaptations - represent the core of underground life. It is assumed that physiology has been molded by convergent evolution to the same extent asmorphology has been. However, although physiological adaptations attracted the interest of researchers since a few decades, only certain processes and aspects have been studied in a few species thus far. The problem has been pointed out already in the last comprehensive review of ecophysiology of subterranean mammals by Buffenstein (2000), and this bias has continued in recent years. The diverse subjects can be assigned to two main fields of research: 2.1) Energy and Material Fluxes cover the topics foraging, digestion, metabolic rate, thermal flux, body temperature, thermoneutral zone, blood transport, cardiac responses, ventilatory responses, acid-base balance, water flux, and mineral homeostasis; 2.2) Neuronal and Hormonal Regulation deal with circadian rhythms, sensory ecophysiology, reproductive physiology and endocrinology.