User:Docindy01/Eastern deer mouse

Article Draft
High-Altitude Adaptations

Some deer mice are found at high altitudes where there are low levels of oxygen and ambient temperatures. They encounter year-round hypoxia, cold, and undergo their entire reproductive cycles under these harsh conditions. Chronic hypoxia can limit the growth of these high-altitude deer mice during gestation, which can affect development and maternal physiology.[31] However, high altitude deer mice do appear to have several physiological adaptations that allow them to survive in these environments. High altitude mice have a greater capacity for carbohydrate and lipid oxidation compared to low altitude mice. [32] Mouse populations living at different altitudes show allelic variation among gene duplicates that encode the α- chain subunits of adult hemoglobin. [32] There are also modifications in the α and β globin genes that may indicate an increase in hemoglobin-oxygen affinity and oxygen transport in these high-altitude populations.[32]