EFFECT OF ALTITUDE ON OXYGEN CONSUMPTION OF DEER MICE: RELATION OF TEMPERATURE AND SEASON

1966 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond J. Hock ◽  
Jane C. Roberts

Metabolic rates of deer mice, P. maniculatus sonoriensis, native to and studied at sea level, 1220 m, and 3800 m were measured at a number of ambient temperatures between 0 and 37 °C. In summer (May–August) there was a direct relationship between metabolic rate and pO2 at all ambient temperatures. When metabolic rates were measured in fall (October–November) at 20 and 32 °C, the MR's of mice from sea level and 3800 m were nearly identical.It is concluded that seasonal changes in MR differ markedly with altitude. At sea level the response to seasonal cold appears ascribable to an increase in physiological insulation. At 3800 m, where summer MR is low, the response to seasonal cold is a metabolic one, that is, an increase in metabolic rate with no change in body temperature.There appears to be no clear-cut relationship between body temperature and altitude and a number of factors other than hypoxia undoubtedly influence not only body temperature, but also thermoregulatory ability of mice from different altitudes.

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (4) ◽  
pp. R1319-R1326 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Dumonteil ◽  
H. Barre ◽  
J. L. Rouanet ◽  
M. Diarra ◽  
J. Bouvier

Penguins are able to maintain a high and constant body temperature despite a thermally constraining environment. Evidence for progressive adaptation to cold and marine life was sought by comparing body and peripheral skin temperatures, metabolic rate, and thermal insulation in juvenile and adult Gentoo penguins exposed to various ambient temperatures in air (from -30 to +30 degrees C) and water (3-35 degrees C). Juvenile penguins in air showed metabolic and insulative capacities comparable with those displayed by adults. Both had a lower critical temperature (LCT) close to 0 degree C. In both adults and juveniles, the intercept of the metabolic curve with the abscissa at zero metabolic rate was far below body temperature. This was accompanied by a decrease in thermal insulation below LCT, allowing the preservation of a threshold temperature in the shell. However, this shell temperature maintenance was progressively abandoned in immersed penguins as adaptation to marine life developed, probably because of its prohibitive energy cost in water. Thus adaptation to cold air and to cold water does not rely on the same kind of reactions. Both of these strategies fail to follow the classical sequence linking metabolic and insulative reactions in the cold.


2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 603 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Ikonomopoulou ◽  
R. W. Rose

We investigated the metabolic rate, thermoneutral zone and thermal conductance of the eastern barred bandicoot in Tasmania. Five adult eastern barred bandicoots (two males, three non-reproductive females) were tested at temperatures of 3, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40°C. The thermoneutral zone was calculated from oxygen consumption and body temperature, measured during the daytime: their normal resting phase. It was found that the thermoneutral zone lies between 25°C and 30°C, with a minimum metabolic rate of 0.51 mL g–1 h–1 and body temperature of 35.8°C. At cooler ambient temperatures (3–20°C) the body temperature decreased to approximately 34.0°C while the metabolic rate increased from 0.7 to 1.3 mL g–1�h–1. At high temperatures (35°C and 40°C) both body temperature (36.9–38.7°C) and metabolic rate (1.0–1.5 mL g–1 h–1) rose. Thermal conductance was low below an ambient temperature of 30°C but increased significantly at higher temperatures. The low thermal conductance (due, in part, to good insulation, a reduced body temperature at lower ambient temperatures, combined with a relatively high metabolic rate) suggests that this species is well adapted to cooler environments but it could not thermoregulate easily at temperatures above 30°C.


2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1607) ◽  
pp. 287-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig R White ◽  
Tim M Blackburn ◽  
Graham R Martin ◽  
Patrick J Butler

A classic example of ecophysiological adaptation is the observation that animals from hot arid environments have lower basal metabolic rates (BMRs, ml O 2  min −1 ) than those from non-arid (luxuriant) ones. However, the term ‘arid’ conceals within it a multitude of characteristics including extreme ambient temperatures ( T a , °C) and low annual net primary productivities (NPPs, g C m −2 ), both of which have been shown to correlate with BMR. To assess the relationship between environmental characteristics and metabolic rate in birds, we collated BMR measurements for 92 populations representing 90 wild-caught species and examined the relationships between BMR and NPP, T a , annual temperature range ( T r ), precipitation and intra-annual coefficient of variation of precipitation ( P CV ). Using conventional non-phylogenetic and phylogenetic generalized least-squares approaches, we found no support for a relationship between BMR and NPP, despite including species captured throughout the world in environments spanning a 35-fold range in NPP. Instead, BMR was negatively associated with T a and T r , and positively associated with P CV .


2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (6) ◽  
pp. R1478-R1488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall Hampton ◽  
Bethany T. Nelson ◽  
Matthew T. Andrews

Small hibernating mammals show regular oscillations in their heart rate and body temperature throughout the winter. Long periods of torpor are abruptly interrupted by arousals with heart rates that rapidly increase from 5 beats/min to over 400 beats/min and body temperatures that increase by ∼30°C only to drop back into the hypothermic torpid state within hours. Surgically implanted transmitters were used to obtain high-resolution electrocardiogram and body temperature data from hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrels ( Spermophilus tridecemlineatus ). These data were used to construct a model of the circulatory system to gain greater understanding of these rapid and extreme changes in physiology. Our model provides estimates of metabolic rates during the torpor-arousal cycles in different model compartments that would be difficult to measure directly. In the compartment that models the more metabolically active tissues and organs (heart, brain, liver, and brown adipose tissue) the peak metabolic rate occurs at a core body temperature of 19°C approximately midway through an arousal. The peak metabolic rate of the active tissues is nine times the normothermic rate after the arousal is complete. For the overall metabolic rate in all tissues, the peak-to-resting ratio is five. This value is high for a rodent, which provides evidence for the hypothesis that the arousal from torpor is limited by the capabilities of the cardiovascular system.


1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin S. Bedford ◽  
Keith A. Christian

Pythons have standard metabolic rates and preferred body temperatures that are lower than those of most other reptiles. This study investigated metabolic rates and preferred body temperatures of seven taxa of Australian pythons. We found that Australian pythons have particularly low metabolic rates when compared with other boid snakes, and that the metabolic rates of the pythons did not change either seasonally or on a daily cycle. Preferred body temperatures do vary seasonally in some species but not in others. Across all species and seasons, the preferred body temperature range was only 4.9˚C. The thermal sensitivity (Q10) of oxygen consumption by pythons conformed to the established range of between 2 and 3. Allometric equations for the pooled python data at each of the experimental temperatures gave an equation exponent of 0.72–0.76, which is similar to previously reported values. By having low preferred body temperatures and low metabolic rates, pythons appear to be able to conserve energy while still maintaining a vigilant ‘sit and wait’ predatory existence. These physiological attributes would allow pythons to maximise the time they can spend ‘sitting and waiting’ in the pursuit of prey.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 171359 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Teague O'Mara ◽  
Sebastian Rikker ◽  
Martin Wikelski ◽  
Andries Ter Maat ◽  
Henry S. Pollock ◽  
...  

Reduction in metabolic rate and body temperature is a common strategy for small endotherms to save energy. The daily reduction in metabolic rate and heterothermy, or torpor, is particularly pronounced in regions with a large variation in daily ambient temperature. This applies most strongly in temperate bat species (order Chiroptera), but it is less clear how tropical bats save energy if ambient temperatures remain high. However, many subtropical and tropical species use some daily heterothermy on cool days. We recorded the heart rate and the body temperature of free-ranging Pallas' mastiff bats ( Molossus molossus ) in Gamboa, Panamá, and showed that these individuals have low field metabolic rates across a wide range of body temperatures that conform to high ambient temperature. Importantly, low metabolic rates in controlled respirometry trials were best predicted by heart rate, and not body temperature . Molossus molossus enter torpor-like states characterized by low metabolic rate and heart rates at body temperatures of 32°C, and thermoconform across a range of temperatures. Flexible metabolic strategies may be far more common in tropical endotherms than currently known.


1972 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 1243-1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Untergasser ◽  
J. S. Hayward

The embryos of mallards and scaups show no evidence of homeothermy before the point of hatching. The ability to thermoregulate develops quickly directly after hatching, so that day-old mallards remain homeothermic for at least 2.5 h at ambient temperatures down to +2 °C. The lowest ambient temperatures at which 1-day-old scaups and common eiders remain homeothermic for at least 2.5 h are −2 °C and −7 °C respectively. This rapid development of cold resistance is related to increases in peak metabolic rates and insulative capacities. In embryos of pipped eggs, metabolic rates do not exceed 1.1 ml O2/g h for mallards and 1.6 ml/g h for scaups, while the peak metabolic rates of the day-old young are 6.1 and 7.0 ml/g h respectively. One-day-old common eiders have a peak metabolic rate of about 5 ml/g h. After an age of 3 days, cold resistance increases with age while peak metabolic rates decrease, indicating that reduced heat loss contributes to increased cold resistance. At an age of 7 days, mallards can maintain homeothermy for at least 2.5 h at −4 °C, scaups at −14 °C, and common eiders at −16 °C. Insulation indices of eider ducklings are significantly higher than those of young mallards and scaups.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F Gillooly

The tremendous variation in brain size among vertebrates has long been thought to be related to differences in species’ metabolic rates. Species with higher metabolic rates can supply more energy to support the relatively high cost of brain tissue. And yet, while body temperature is known to be a major determinant of metabolic rate, the possible effects of temperature on brain size have scarcely been explored. Thus, here I explore the effects of temperature on brain size among diverse vertebrates (fishes,amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). I find that, after controlling for body size,brain size increases exponentially with temperature in much the same way asmetabolic rate. These results suggest that temperature-dependent changes in aerobic capacity, which have long been known to affect physical performance, similarly affect brain size. The observed temperature-dependence of brain size may explain observed gradients in brain size among both ectotherms and endotherms across broad spatial and temporal scales.


1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1781-1789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Boily ◽  
David M. Lavigne

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) data obtained from five juvenile and three adult female grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in captivity over a period of 3.5 years were examined for developmental and seasonal changes. Three juveniles exhibited a significant relationship between log10 RMR and log10 mass, with individual slopes ranging from 0.42 to 1.62. Two of these exhibited a significant relationship between log10 RMR and log10 age. The remaining two juveniles and the three adults exhibited no significant relationship between RMR and body mass. With increasing size and age, RMRs of juveniles approached predicted values for adult mammals, but the large variation made it difficult to establish the precise age at which they achieved an adult-like RMR. RMRs of adults and juveniles exhibited marked seasonal changes. In juveniles, seasonal changes in RMR were limited to the annual moult, when the average RMR was 35% higher than during the rest of the year. In adults, changes in RMR were not limited to the time of the annual moult; rather, RMR was lower (by up to 50%) in the summer than during other seasons.


1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (2) ◽  
pp. R284-R289 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Owen ◽  
R. L. Spencer ◽  
S. P. Duckles

To determine whether senescence affects the metabolic and behavioral responses of rats to chronic cold exposure, 8- and 22-mo-old male Fischer 344 rats were studied before and after 6 wk of cold (6-10 degrees C) exposure. Measurements of body weight, food consumption, oxygen consumption, body temperature, and ambient temperature selection in a thermocline (7-37 degrees C linear gradient) were made at regular intervals throughout the acclimation period. Before acclimation, age groups differed significantly only by weight. During acclimation, older rats had increased mortality and morbidity below 10 degrees C. After acclimation at 10 degrees C, younger and older rats both selected cooler ambient temperatures (7 and 5 degrees C cooler than preacclimation, respectively), and older rats had a significantly greater decrease in body temperature in the thermocline. Both age groups increased resting metabolic rate at 25 degrees C with cold acclimation (16.5 and 10% increase for younger and older rats, respectively). This study indicates distinct differences in metabolic and behavioral responses of younger and older rats to cold acclimation. Chronic cold exposure is detrimental to thermoregulatory function in older rats, since it is not as effective in stimulating sustained increases in metabolic rate in older rats as in young adults and it leads to a preference for cooler ambient temperatures, resulting in increased heat loss and reduced body temperature.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document