{"id":{"repo_id":"lethbridge","oai_identifier":"oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/151"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/lethbridge/oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/151","repository":{"repo_id":"lethbridge","name":"University of Lethbridge","base_url":"https://opus.uleth.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Hibernation biology of Richardson's ground squirrels : hibernaculum systems and energy utilization","abstract":"I studied free-living Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) using telemetry and total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) to evaluate overwinter energy utilization and the impact of seed caching on body composition of males. I excavated 51 hibernation systems and found that 66% of 35 males cached 1 to 4 species of seed in the hivernaculum. Pre-emergent euthermy was shorter for 3 non-caching (0.7 = 0.2 days) than for 13 caching males (4.0 = 2.8 days), and metabolic predictions of overwinter mass loss approximated actual loss for non-caching males, but over-estimated mass loss for caching males. I concluded that caching males recouped some of the mass lost during hibernation by eating the cache during the longer period of pre-emergence euthermy. Based on TOBEC, the recouped mass included both fat and lean tissue. I suggest that caching in one year is a cost of reproduction that offsets the energetic demands of mating the following year.","abstract_html":"I studied free-living Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) using telemetry and total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) to evaluate overwinter energy utilization and the impact of seed caching on body composition of males. I excavated 51 hibernation systems and found that 66% of 35 males cached 1 to 4 species of seed in the hivernaculum. Pre-emergent euthermy was shorter for 3 non-caching (0.7 = 0.2 days) than for 13 caching males (4.0 = 2.8 days), and metabolic predictions of overwinter mass loss approximated actual loss for non-caching males, but over-estimated mass loss for caching males. I concluded that caching males recouped some of the mass lost during hibernation by eating the cache during the longer period of pre-emergence euthermy. Based on TOBEC, the recouped mass included both fat and lean tissue. I suggest that caching in one year is a cost of reproduction that offsets the energetic demands of mating the following year.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Charge, T. Dic","University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2001,"date_issued":"2001","date_published":"2001","updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:02:11Z","subjects":["Richardson's ground squirrel -- Hibernation -- Alberta","Dissertations, Academic"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["hdl:10133/151"],"render_values":[{"text":"hdl:10133/151","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2001"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Richardson's ground squirrel -- Hibernation -- Alberta","Dissertations, Academic"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["hdl:10133/151"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.other","label":"Dc Description Other","values":["I studied free-living Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) using telemetry and total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) to evaluate overwinter energy utilization and the impact of seed caching on body composition of males. I excavated 51 hibernation systems and found that 66% of 35 males cached 1 to 4 species of seed in the hivernaculum. Pre-emergent euthermy was shorter for 3 non-caching (0.7 = 0.2 days) than for 13 caching males (4.0 = 2.8 days), and metabolic predictions of overwinter mass loss approximated actual loss for non-caching males, but over-estimated mass loss for caching males. I concluded that caching males recouped some of the mass lost during hibernation by eating the cache during the longer period of pre-emergence euthermy. Based on TOBEC, the recouped mass included both fat and lean tissue. I suggest that caching in one year is a cost of reproduction that offsets the energetic demands of mating the following year."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Hibernation biology of Richardson's ground squirrels : hibernaculum systems and energy utilization"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:date.issued":["2001"],"dc:description.other":["I studied free-living Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) using telemetry and total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) to evaluate overwinter energy utilization and the impact of seed caching on body composition of males. I excavated 51 hibernation systems and found that 66% of 35 males cached 1 to 4 species of seed in the hivernaculum. Pre-emergent euthermy was shorter for 3 non-caching (0.7 = 0.2 days) than for 13 caching males (4.0 = 2.8 days), and metabolic predictions of overwinter mass loss approximated actual loss for non-caching males, but over-estimated mass loss for caching males. I concluded that caching males recouped some of the mass lost during hibernation by eating the cache during the longer period of pre-emergence euthermy. Based on TOBEC, the recouped mass included both fat and lean tissue. I suggest that caching in one year is a cost of reproduction that offsets the energetic demands of mating the following year."],"dc:identifier":["hdl:10133/151"],"dc:subject":["Richardson's ground squirrel -- Hibernation -- Alberta","Dissertations, Academic"],"dc:title":["Hibernation biology of Richardson's ground squirrels : hibernaculum systems and energy utilization"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:02:11Z"}