Summary
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1.
Oxygen consumption and lactate content of the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis were determined under standard conditions and for a bout of maximal activity induced by a 2-min period of electrical stimulation. Observations were made between 25 ° and 45 °C.
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2.
Maximal aerobic scope, 2.27 cm3 O2/(g × hr), occurred at 40 °C (Figs. 2, 4). The increase in oxygen consumption during activity at the various temperatures between 25 ° and 45 °C represented 7- to 17-fold of corresponding resting levels.
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3.
Lactate content of restingDipsosaurus is independent of temperature and averages 0.25 mg/g body weight. Maximal lactate production during the activity induced by a 2-min period of electrical stimulation occurred at 40 °C (Fig. 3). The capacity ofDipsosaurus for anaerobic metabolism exceeds that of other lizards investigated, both in its magnitude and in its thermal dependence.
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4.
The total amount of energy mobilized byDipsosaurus in the activity induced by a 2-min period of electrical stimulation was maximal at 40 °C (Fig. 4). Anaerobiosis accounts for a minimum of 58–83% of the total energetic expenditure.
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5.
It is postulated that the principal physiological adaptations to preferred thermal levels in reptiles have involved energy mobilization during and rapid recovery after activity.
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This study was supported in part by a Miller Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to AFB and by National Science Foundation Grant GB-25022 to WRD. We thank Dr. Lon McClanahan for assistance in collecting the animals.
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Bennett, A.F., Dawson, W.R. Aerobic and anaerobic metabolism during activity in the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis . J. Comp. Physiol. 81, 289–299 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00693633
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00693633