RESTING METABOLIC RATES AND DAILY ENERGY-INTAKE IN DESERT AND NON-DESERT MURID RODENTS

In the present study, we measured resting metabolic rates of two murid rodent species from extremely different habitats. The aim was to asse ss, under controlled laboratory conditions, the relations between rest ing metabolic rate, average daily metabolic rate, food consumption, an d water turnover rate, The results obtained reveal considerable differ ences in each of the physiological parameters between the two species. However, the ratios of resting metabolic rate and the average daily m etabolic rate are not different in the two species. The results of the present study indicate that the characteristic low resting metabolic rate of desert mammals also implies a low rate of the average daily me tabolic rate, food requirements, and water turnover rate.