Sustainable Agriculture: Nutritional Benefits of Wheat–Soybean and Maize–Sunflower Associations for Hibernation and Reproduction of Endangered Common Hamsters

Farmland species face many threats, including habitat loss and malnutrition during key periods of their life cycle. This is aggravated in conventionally managed monocultures, leading to nutrient deficiencies that impair the survival and reproduction of farmland wildlife. For instance, protein deficiencies in wheat or vitamin B3 deficiency in maize reduce by up to 87% the reproductive success of the critically endangered common hamster (Cricetus cricetus), a flagship species of European farmlands. It is urgent to identify and implement agricultural practices that can overcome these deficiencies and help restoring hamsters’ reproductive success. As part of a conservation program to diversify farming habitats in collaboration with farmers, we tested whether associations between wheat or maize and three supplemental crops (soybean, sunflower and fodder radish) supported hamsters’ performance during hibernation and reproduction. We observed that maize–sunflower, maize–radish and wheat–soybean associations minimized hamsters’ body mass loss during hibernation. The wheat–soybean association led to the highest reproductive success (N = 2 litters of 4.5 ± 0.7 pups with a 100% survival rate to weaning), followed by maize–sunflower and maize–radish. These crop associations offer promising opportunities to overcome nutritional deficiencies caused by cereal monocultures. Their agronomic potential should promote their implementation on a large scale and benefit farmland biodiversity beyond the common hamster

Adaptations métaboliques et digestives des espèces hibernantes

International audienceSome animals hibernate to spare energy during winter. They alternate torpor bouts (hypometabolism and hypothermia) and arousals (eumetabolism and euthermia). Food-storing species feed during these periodic arousals whereas fat-storing species fast throughout hibernation. This article describes the metabolic differences between these two strategies. In fat-storing animals, energy needs are covered by the hydrolysis of triglycerides of the white adipose tissue, whereas gluconeogenesis helps maintaining glycemia. In food-storing species, adiponectin stimulates lipolysis, which contributes to ketogenesis, but inhibits gluconeogenesis as a significant decrease in glycemia is observed during torpor. The maintenance of a functional digestive system ensures the absorption of nutrients and especially glucose during arousals in these species, allowing a transient restoration of glycemia. The quality of fat or food reserves determines the efficiency of hibernation and therefore, the body condition of animals at emergence, on which greatly depend survival and reproductive performances

Dietary proteins improve hibernation and subsequent reproduction in the European hamster, Cricetus cricetus

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