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Oxygen consumption and body temperature of the Chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii)
Author(s) -
Arnold Jennifer,
Shield John
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1970.tb03089.x
Subject(s) - oxygen , linear regression , zoology , atmospheric temperature range , biology , degree (music) , consumption (sociology) , analytical chemistry (journal) , statistics , thermodynamics , chemistry , mathematics , physics , environmental chemistry , social science , organic chemistry , sociology , acoustics
The average relation between O 2 consumption rate and ambient temperature in the range 9–39°C for five adult litter‐mates was found to be y = 36.237–3.6821 x + 0.26685 x 2 —0.0094468 x 3 + 0.00011974 x 4 where y is the O 2 consumption rate in ml./kg min and x is the ambient temperature in ° C. The O 2 consumption rates of females showed a much greater variation about this regression than did the rates of males. This regression estimates the minimum O 2 consumption to occur at an ambient temperature of 31.5°C but scatter diagrams show the thermal neutral range to extend from about 28 to 33°C. Twenty‐six oxygen consumption rates measured at 30°C (in the thermal neutral range) had a mean value of 67% of those predicted for eutherians of similar body weights but the range extended from 40 to 105%. Prolonged (13 to 28 hours) O 2 consumption measurements at the same temperature show that, in the absence of activity, comparatively low O 2 consumption rates are maintained for long periods. The linear regression equation relating simultaneous O 2 consumption rates and colonic temperatures measured at an ambient temperature of 30°C estimates that O 2 consumption will increase from 40 to 105% of that predicted when body temperature is raised from 34.5 to 38.7°C; and furthermore that an O 2 consumption rate of 67% of the predicted should occur at a body temperature of 36.2°C. Animals kept in small cages at an ambient temperature of 30°C were found to have mean colonic temperatures of about 34.9°C during the day when they were resting and 37.4°C in the early evening when they were active. When kept at ambient temperatures lower than the thermal neutral a similar daily cycle in colonic temperature was found but the females showed a much larger variation about the daily trend than did males. The low O 2 consumption rates maintained during inactivity and a lack of strict thermoregulation result in a relatively low body temperature and a considerable saving in metabolic energy is thereby effected. The higher colonic temperatures reached in the evening result mainly from the higher energy usage during acitvity.