Abstract
Microclimates in mammal burrows depend on a critical balance between production, consumption and ventilation. This study investigates one, potentially dominant, advective ventilation mechanism: thermal convective venting (TCV). Temperature profiles were monitored continuously inside artificial mammalian burrows that were dug in the central Negev Desert of Israel, representing a typical arid environment. Using a heat transfer numerical model, it was found that heat transfer by TCV occurs regularly during nights and early mornings, driven by a thermal gradient between the burrow's soil and the atmosphere. The venting properties of TCV were tested using tracer visualization experiments in a climate-controlled laboratory under controlled conditions mimicking field thermal gradients. An inclined burrow produced convective venting rates two orders of magnitude higher than the calculated CO 2 production rate of Sundevall's jird (Meriones crassus, the case-study mammal); i.e., TCV can support the mammal's respiratory needs, even when neglecting other potential venting mechanisms like diffusion and wind-driven venting. Our calculations suggest that TCV can also support the respiration needs of larger mammals since venting by TCV increases as the burrow radius increases.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 51-62 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Arid Environments |
Volume | 84 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was funded by the Israeli Science Foundation (ISF), contracts # 70/06 and 678/11. The authors wish to thank Uri Nachshon for his assistance with data processing.
Funding
This work was funded by the Israeli Science Foundation (ISF), contracts # 70/06 and 678/11. The authors wish to thank Uri Nachshon for his assistance with data processing.
Funders | Funder number |
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Israel Science Foundation | 70/06, 678/11 |
Keywords
- Air circulation
- Earth-atmosphere interface
- Gas transport
- Mammalian burrows
- Thermal convection
- Ventilation