Thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) undergo seasonal hibernation consisting of two distinct physiological states, including torpor and interbout arousal (IBA). Torpor is characterized by inactivity, low metabolism, and a drastically low body temperature (Tb). Weeks-long torpor bouts are interrupted by spontaneous arousal periods (IBAs) that last up to 48 hours, when Tb and other internal functions resemble those of the active state. When initiating an IBA, squirrels employ both non-shivering and shivering thermogenesis to rapidly rewarm Tb from 4 degrees C to 37 degrees C over a few hours. Currently, little is known about the ethology of the torpor-arousal transition, such as the sequence of behaviors employed by hibernators to rewarm. Here, we examine the behaviors of the torpor-arousal transition with induced arousal and continuous video monitoring. We record the time and Tb at which major behaviors, such as shivering, eye-opening, and righting, occur. We also explore how the sequence of behaviors changes across three distinct periods encompassing early, mid, and late hibernation. Finally, we compare arousal temporal dynamics between males and females. Our results show that behaviors occur sequentially across the torpor arousal transition, with shivering starting as early as 12 degrees C Tb, and that rewarming dynamics change across hibernation as well as between the sexes. Our results provide a better understanding of the fine structure of behavioral state transitions across the span of months-long hibernation. Controlled thermoregulation has applications for human health, including therapeutic hypothermia, longevity, and space travel.

Plants rely on predators for protection against herbivores, also known as indirect defense. This predation works alongside a plant's direct defenses, which include toxic chemicals in a plant's leaves. Our lab has previously found an increased caterpillar abundance in association with phloem-feeding insects on white oak trees, and that bird predation compensated for the increased caterpillar abundance within these same forests. When phloem feeders and caterpillars are present on the same branches, the plants' emission of volatile compounds, which work as odor cues for plants and animals, is modified. Birds can detect these changes and use such signalling to preferentially forage for caterpillars on the branches with more phloem feeders. These ideas are the precursors of our current research; do bird visitation rates correlate with the numbers of phloem feeders across oak trees? We hypothesize a positive correlation between bird visitation rate and the number of phloem feeders on oak trees. Using a mixed methods approach, we piloted the tracking and synthesis of the relationship between white oak, insectivorous animals, and phloem-feeding insects. Statistical analyses will be done using the synthesis of data collected ( i.e., unique branches, branch foraging, bird species, the presence of phloem feeders, time spent foraging, and observed predation). While we anticipate our findings to be significant, the future direction of this research entails the use of cameras. This will allow for easier tracking of these tri-trophic interactions, meaning more extensive data collection, enabling more powerful testing of our hypothesis.