번역샘플 - 환경 생명 과학(EnvironmentalBiosciences)

With global warming progressing, it is critical from the perspectives of biodiversity conservation and wild animal management to clarify how changes in temperature affect the feeding efficiency and foraging behavior of wild animals. In this study, we focused on large Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus) that are distributed widely in Japanese forests and revealed that their capability to detoxify tannin (**), an anti-herbivore defensive substance (*) contained in plants, improves at low temperature.
Various chemical compounds including tannin are primarily detoxified in liver after being absorbed into the body. It is commonly known that the liver’s ability to detoxify alcohol decreases at higher temperatures; nevertheless, it has been unclear how temperature is correlated with the detoxification process of tannin, one of the most common toxins present in nature.
To address this question, we fed oak acorns containing high concentrations of tannin to large Japanese field mice raised at either 10 or 20 degrees and compared the levels of detoxification in the liver, intake, and digestion. Consequently, we discovered that the mice kept at 10 degrees detoxified tannin faster and thus ate larger amounts of acorns. Moreover, they digested proteins contained in acorns more efficiently.
These results indicate that large Japanese field mice are able to neutralize the toxicity of tannin more effectively and consume acorns more efficiently at lower temperatures. Japanese field mice survive the cold winter by eating acorns stored during the autumn; therefore, this trait must be advantageous for their overwintering. These findings provide crucial information in observing changes in habitats and populations of wild animals amid global warming.