Summary
-
1.
Contractile properties of the fasttwitch glycolytic (FG) portion of the iliofibularis muslce and sprint running performance were studied at approximately 5°C intervals from 15–44°C in the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis.
-
2.
Maximal running velocity (VR) and stride frequency (f) were both greatest when body temperature (T b) was 40°C, the field-active,T b inDipsosaurus. At 40°C VR was 4.3±0.2 m/s and f was 13.5±0.5 s−1.
-
3.
Between 25 and 40°C, the thermal dependencies of VR and f were approximately constant (Q10's of 1.31 and 1.36 for VR and f, respectively). Below 25°C performance declined more markedly with decreasing temperature. At 20°C strides were qualitatively normal, but VR was only half of the value at 25°C. At 15°C the lizards were substantially incapacitated, and VR was 10% of the value at 20°C. Stride length was approximately 0.33m and changed very little withT b from 20–44°C.
-
4.
The time dependent contractile properties of FG muscle were affected more by temperature than was sprint performance. The maximal velocity of shortening at zero load (Vo) was 18.7 l0/s at 40°C and had a Q10 of 1.7 from 25–40°C. Maximal power output (\(\dot W_{max} \)) determined from the forcevelocity curve was 464 W/kg at 40°C. Below 40°C\(\dot W_{max} \) varied with temperature with a Q10 of 2–3. The shape of the force-velocity curve changed little with temperature (\(\dot W_{max} \)/POVO=0.11).
-
5.
Between 25 and 40°C a relatively temperature-independent process must modulate the effects of temperature on the contractile properties of the muscles that supply the power for burst locomotion. Storage and recovery of elastic energy appears to be a likely candidate for such a process.
-
6.
Below 25°C, however, the contraction time is prolonged to such an extent that the f attainable is limited by the minimum time taken to contract and relax the muscles.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Abbreviations
- FG :
-
fast-twitch, glycolytic (muscle)
- IF :
-
iliofibularis muscle
References
Alexander RMcN, Vernon A (1975) The mechanics of hopping by kangaroos (Macropodidae). J Zool (Lond) 177:265–303
Asmussen E, Bonde-Petersen F (1974a) Storage of elastic energy in the skeletal muscles in man. Acta Physiol Scand 91:385–392
Asmussen E, Bonde-Petersen F (1974b) Apparent efficiency and storage of elastic energy in human muscles during exercise. Acta Physiol Scand 92:537–545
Belkin DA (1961) The running speeds of the lizardsDipsosaurus dorsalis andCallisaurus dracanoides. Copeia 1961:223–224
Bennett AF (1980a) The metabolic foundations of vertebrate behavior. Bioscience 30:452–456
Bennett AF (1980b) The thermal dependence of lizard behaviour. Anim Behav 28:752–762
Bennett AF (1984) The thermal dependence of muscle function. Am J Physiol 247: R217-R229
Bennett AF, Dawson WR (1972) Aerobic and anaerobic metabolism during activity in the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis. J Comp Physiol 81:289–299
Bergh U, Ekblom B (1979) Influence of muscle temperature on maximal muscle strength and power output in human skeletal muscles. Acta Physiol Scand 107:33–37
Biewener A, Alexander RMcN, Heglund NC (1981) Elastic energy storage in the hopping of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis). J Zool (Lond) 195:369–383
Bickler PE (1981) Effects of temperature, on acid-base balance and ventilation in desert iguanas. Am J Physiol 51:452–460
Cavagna GA, Citterio G, Jacini P (1981) Effects of speed and extent of stretching on the elastic properties of active frog muscle. J Exp Biol 91:131–143
Cavagna GA, Kaneko M (1977) Mechanical work and efficiency in level walking and running. J Physiol (Lond) 268:467–481
Cavagna GA, Komarek L, Mazzoleni S (1971) The mechanics of sprint running. J Physiol (Lond) 217:709–721
Cecchi G, Colomo F, Lombardi V (1978) Force-velocity relation in normal and nitrate-treated frog single muscle fibers during rise of tension in an isometric tetanus. J Physiol (Lond) 285:257–273
Christian KA, Tracy CR (1981) The effect of thermal environment on the ability of hatching Galopagos land iguanas to avoid predation during dispersal. Oecologia 49:218–223
Close R (1965) The relation between intrinsic speed of shortening and the duration of the active state of muscle. J Physiol (Lond) 180:542–559
DeWitt C (1967) Precision of thermoregulation and its relation to environmental factors in the desert iguana,Dipsosaurus dorsalis. Physiol Zool 40:49–66
Fedak MA, Heglund NC, Taylor CR (1982) Energetics and mechanics of terrestrial locomotion. II. Kinetic energy changes of the limbs and body as a function of speed and body size birds and mammals. J Exp Biol 79:23–40
Gleeson TT, Putnam RW, Bennett AF (1980) Histochemical, enzymatic, and contractile properties of skeletal muscle fibers in the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis. J Exp Zool 214:293–302
Goslow GE, Jr, Seeherman HJ, Taylor CR, McCutchin MN, Heglund NC (1981) Electrical activity and relative length changes of dog limb muscles as a function of speed and gait. J Exp Biol 94:15–42
Heglund NC, Fedak MA, Taylor CR, Cavagna, GA (1982a) Energetics and mechanics of terrestial locomotion IV. Total mechanical energy changes as a function of speed and body size in birds and mammals. J Exp Biol 97:57–66
Heglund NC, Cavagna GA, Taylor CR (1982b) Energetics and mechanics of terrestrial locomotion. III. Energy changes of the centre of mass as a function of speed and body size in birds and mammals. J Exp Biol 79:41–56
Hill AV (1938) The heat of shortening and the dynamic constants of muscle. Proc R Soc (Lond) B 126:136–195
Hill AV (1970) First and last experiments in muscle mechanics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England
Howland H (1974) Optimal strategies for predator avoidance: the relative importance of speed and manoeuvrability. J Theor Biol 47:333–366
Huey RB (1982) Phylogenetic and ontogenetic determinants of sprint performance in some diurnal Kalahari lizards. Koedoe 25:43–48
Huey RB (1983) Natural variation in body temperature and physiological performance in a lizard (Anolis cristatellus). In: Rhodin AGJ, Miyata K (eds) Advances in herpetology and evolutionary biology. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, pp 484–490
Huey RB, Hertz PE (1982) Effects of size and slope on the sprint speed of a lizard (Stellio (Agama) stellio). J Exp Biol 97:401–409
Jewell BR, Wilkie DR (1958) an analysis of the mechanical components in frog striated muscle. J Physiol (Lond) 143:515–540
Jewell BR, Wilkie DR (1960) The mechanical properties of relaxing muscle. J Physiol (Lond) 152:30–47
John-Alder H, Bennett AF (1981) Thermal dependence of endurance, oxygen consumption, and locomotory energetics in the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis. Am J Physiol 241:R342-R349
Lännergren J (1978) The force-velocity relation of isolated twitch and slow muscle fibers ofXenopus laevis J Physiol (Lond) 283:501–521
Lännergren J, Lindblom P, Johansson B (1982) Contractile propeties of two varieties of twitch fibers inXenopus laevis. Acta Physiol Scand 114:523–535
Licht P (1964) A comparative study of the thermal dependence of contractility in saurian skeletal muscle. Comp Biochem Physiol 13:27–44
Licht P, Dawson WR, Shoemaker V (1969) Thermal adjustments in cardiac and skeletal muscles of lizards,. Z Vergl Physiol 65:1–14
Loughna PT, Rome LC, Goldspink G (1983) The effects of temperature acclimation upon fiber type recruitment in fish myotomal muscle. Am Zool 24:887
Norris KS (1953) The ecology of the desert iguanaDipsosaurus dorsalis. Ecology, 34:265–287
Petrofsky JS, Lind AR (1981) The influence of temperature on the isometric characteristics of fast and slow muscle in the cat. Pflügers Arch 389:149–154
Petrofsky JS, Phillips CA (1981) The influence of temperature, initial length, and electrical activity on the force-velocity relationship of medial gastrocnemius muscle of the cat J Biomechan 14:297–306
Putman RW, Bennett AF (1982) Thermal dependence of isometric contractile properties of lizard muscle. J Comp Physiol 147:11–20
Putnam RW, Gleeson TT, Bennett AF (1980) Histochemical determination of fiber composition of locomotory muscles in a lizard,Dipsosaurus dorsalis. J Exp Zool 214:303–309
Rigby BJ, Hirai N, Spikes JD, Eyring (1958) The mechanical properties of rat tail tendon. J Gen Physiol 43:265–283
Rome LC (1982) The energetic cost of running with different muscle temperatures in Savannah Monitor lizards. J Exp Biol 99:269–277
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Marsh, R.L., Bennett, A.F. Thermal dependence of isotonic contractile properties of skeletal muscle and sprint performance of the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis . J Comp Physiol B 155, 541–551 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694443
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694443