第264回白眉セミナー ： A Journey Into the Past: Exploring Physiological Adaptations in Modern and Extinct Proboscideans
- Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel Assistant Professor, Division of South East Area Studies, Asian and African Area of Studies (ASAFAS)
- 2025/03/04 4:45pm
- 学術研究支援棟地下会議室1＆2
- English
要旨
As climate change and human-induced challenges increase, animals must adapt to survive, particularly large mammals like elephants that have slow reproduction rates and long lifespans. Additionally, extreme habitat destruction has compelled living elephants to share their space and resources with humans. For over a decade, I have studied the stress physiology of free-ranging Asian elephants across various landscapes in India. My findings indicate that elephants are indeed attempting to ‘physiologically’ adjust to these challenges; however, the fitness consequences of these adaptations remain unclear. To address this gap, I have adopted a retrospective approach to investigate the physiological history of elephants in captivity. I plan to explore the distant past to understand whether the extinct relatives of elephants made similar physiological adjustments. During my time at Hakubi, I aim to study how extinct proboscideans coped with extreme challenges and what factors ultimately contributed to their extinction. I will cover all of these topics and more regarding elephants during my talk.