Temperature and the Balance between Aerial and Aquatic Respiration in Larvae of Rana berlandieri and Rana catesbeiana

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Abstract
Tadpoles of the frogs Rana berlandieri and Rana catesbeiana increased total oxygen uptake through lungs, gills, and skin as temperature increased. However, the partitioning of oxygen uptake among lungs, gills, and skin was similar at all experimental temperatures (15, 25, and 33 C), with the skin being the major site of O₂ uptake. This constancy of partitioning in tadpoles differs from the increased predominance of pulmonary respiration with rising temperatures reported for many other amphibious vertebrates. We suggest that neither the costs nor the physical constraints of aquatic O₂ exchange limit its predominance at high temperatures in tadpoles and perhaps in other forms.