Metabolic Rate, Q10and Respiratory Quotient (RQ) in Crocodylus porosus, and Some Generalizations about Low RQ in Reptiles
- 1 October 1978
- journal article
- research article
- Published by University of Chicago Press in Physiological Zoology
- Vol. 51 (4) , 354-360
- https://doi.org/10.1086/physzool.51.4.30160960
Abstract
In juvenile Crocodylus porosus, the dependence of oxygen consumption on temperature can be described by the relationship . The was found to be 2.68 over the temperature range 20-33 C. No trend was observed between body weight and weight-specific oxygen consumption. At (27-33 C) respiratory quotient (RQ) (measured gasometrically) was invariably low (0.32 - 0.74, mean 0.49, 0.13 SD) in animals from freshwater. The low values of gasometric RQ are attributed to incorporation of carbon dioxide in the urine, forming ammonium bicarbonate. Support for this hypothesis is afforded by the similarity of measured values (0.49) to values predicted by the hypothesis (0.51).This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Oxygen Consumption, Ventilation, and Oxygen Pulse of the American Alligator during Heating and CoolingPhysiological Zoology, 1975
- Oxygen Consumption in the Lizard Uta StansburianaEcology, 1968
- Source and function of urinary ammonia in the alligatorAmerican Journal of Physiology-Legacy Content, 1959