Dietary proteins improve hibernation and subsequent reproduction in the European hamster, Cricetus cricetus

Abstract

The reproductive success of hibernators depends not only on food quality during reproduction but also on their body condition when emerging after hibernation, which, in turn, is highly dependent on the hibernation pattern. To date, no studies, to our knowledge, have fully investigated the role of macronutrients throughout the annual lifecycle of hibernators and the strong interdependency between its different phases. This study tested the effects of two diets with different lipid and protein composition on the prehibernation body condition, hibernation pattern, and reproduction of captive-reared European hamsters. Hamsters fed the high-lipid diet gained more body mass in the prehibernation period than those eating the high-protein diet, spent less time in torpor, and thus lost more body mass during hibernation. Despite similar body conditions in both groups at the start of reproduction, the group fed the high-protein diet had higher reproductive success, with more numerous and larger pups than in the high-lipid group. This study reveals that the macronutrient content of diets affects the different phases of the annual lifecycle in hamsters, each of which affects the next. Thus, a high-lipid diet induces less torpor use during hibernation because of a better prehibernation body condition and negatively impacts subsequent reproduction.