Fig. 1

Thermal behaviors on the ring-shaped thermal gradient system. A Top camera image of the Thermal Gradient Ring (left) and a schema with the temperature gradient zones marked by different colors (right). There are two temperature control devices under the ring that create a thermal gradient on the floor. There are 12 zones on one half of the ring, and duplicates of the same gradient and zones on the other side. B “Spent time” of wild-type mice in the presence (11.5–43.6 ℃, green, n = 15) or absence (black, n = 15) of a thermal gradient across a 60-min experiment. C “Spent time” of wild-type mice on the thermal gradient in 20-min blocks. D Transition of subcutaneous (black) and core (gray) body temperatures before, during (a gray bar), and after a thermal behavior test conducted in the daytime (13:00–18:00). E Transition of subcutaneous temperatures before, during (a gray bar), and after a thermal behavior test in wild-type mice and mice lacking TRP channels during the daytime (13:00–18:00) (n = 3/genotype). Averaged subcutaneous temperatures of all genotypes in the first and last 20 min are shown in the gray box