Comparative Study on Phenotypic Differences in Eothenomys Miletus Under Food Restriction and Refeeding Between Xianggelila and Jianchuan from Hengduan Mountain Regions

Abstract

Body mass regulation may be appeared regional differences, in order to investigate the physiological and behavioral changes in Eothenomys miletus from Shanggelila (XGLL) and Jianchuan (JC) under food restriction (FR) and refeeding (Re), body mass, food intake, resting metabolic rate (RMR), serum leptin levels, hypothalamic neuropeptides expression and activity behavior were measured. The results showed that areas and FR had significant effects on body mass, food intake, RMR, activity behavior, serum leptin levels, hypothalamic neuropeptides expression, masses of liver and small intestine in E. miletus. Body mass and serum leptin levels in XGLL were lower than that of JC, food intake, activity behavior, liver mass and RMR in XGLL were higher relative to in JC. All the indexes of the two areas of E. miletus can be restored to control levels after refeeding, showing phenotypic plasticity. In conclusion, physiological and behavioral characteristics illustrated that the influences of food and different regions on phenotypic plasticity, which had important significance for in-depth understanding of the survival and adaptation strategies of E. miletus in Hengduan mountain regions.