Data from: Early life experience drives short-term acclimation of metabolic and osmoregulatory traits in the leaf-eared mouse

We studied the putative effect of early experience on the physiological flexibility of metabolic and osmoregulatory traits in the leaf-eared mouse Phyllotis darwini, an altricial rodent inhabiting seasonal mediterranean environments. Adult individuals were collected in central Chile and maintained in breeding pairs. Pups were isolated after weaning and acclimated to different temperature (cold or warm) and water availability (unrestricted and restricted) until adulthood. Subsequently, individuals were re-acclimated to the opposite treatment. Rodents reared in warm and subjected to water restriction had lower basal metabolic rate (BMR), lower total evaporative water loss (TEWL), and body mass (Mb) compared to those developing in the cold treatment; nevertheless, individuals subjected to warm temperatures had greater relative medullary thickness (RMT) and urine concentrating ability (UCA). Cold-reared rodents re-acclimated to warm conditions exhibited physiological flexibility of metabolic traits; however, their osmoregulatory attributes did not vary. Conversely, warm-reared rodents re-acclimated to cold had reduced RMT and UCA, but the metabolic traits of these individuals did not change; these results suggest a trade-off between metabolic performance and renal capabilities that might hinder physiological acclimation. Our results support the hypothesis of ontogenetic dependence of short-term acclimation in osmoregulatory and metabolic traits in Phyllotis darwini.本研究旨在探究早期发育经历对达尔文叶耳鼠（Phyllotis darwini）代谢与渗透调节性状生理可塑性的推测性效应。该物种为栖息于季节性地中海生境的晚成啮齿类。 研究人员在智利中部捕获成年个体，以成对方式进行饲养繁育。幼崽于断奶后被分离饲养，分别驯化于不同温度（低温或常温）与供水条件（自由饮水与限水）环境直至成年；随后将所有个体再次驯化至相反的实验处理条件。 相较于低温饲养组个体，经常温饲养且限水的啮齿类，其基础代谢率（basal metabolic rate, BMR）、总蒸发失水量（total evaporative water loss, TEWL）与体重（body mass, Mb）均更低；但常温饲养组个体的相对髓质厚度（relative medullary thickness, RMT）与尿液浓缩能力（urine concentrating ability, UCA）更高。 低温饲养后再驯化至常温环境的啮齿类，其代谢性状呈现生理可塑性，但其渗透调节属性未发生变化。反之，常温饲养后再驯化至低温环境的个体，其RMT与UCA均出现下降，但代谢性状未发生改变；上述结果表明代谢性能与肾脏功能间存在权衡关系，这可能会阻碍生理驯化过程。 本研究结果支持"达尔文叶耳鼠渗透调节与代谢性状的短期驯化存在发育依赖性"这一假说。