Oxygen concentration affects upper thermal tolerance in a terrestrial vertebrate.
Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol
; 199: 87-94, 2016 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27264957
ABSTRACT
We tested the oxygen limitation hypothesis, which states that animals decline in performance and reach the upper limits of their thermal tolerance when the metabolic demand for oxygen at high temperatures exceeds the circulatory system's ability to supply adequate oxygen, in air-breathing lizards exposed to air with different oxygen concentrations. Lizards exposed to hypoxic air (6% O2) gaped, panted, and lost their righting response at significantly lower temperatures than lizards exposed to normoxic (21% O2) or hyperoxic (35% O2) air. A greater proportion of lizards in the hyperoxic treatment were able to withstand body temperatures above 44°C than in the normoxic treatment. We also found that female lizards had a higher panting threshold than male lizards, while sex had no effect on gaping threshold and loss of righting response. Body size affected the temperature at which lizards lost the righting response, with larger lizards losing the response at lower temperatures than smaller lizards when exposed to hypoxic conditions. These data suggest that oxygen limitation plays a mechanistic role in the thermal tolerance of lizards.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Oxigênio
/
Temperatura
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Aclimatação
/
Lagartos
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
/
FISIOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article