The Influence of Substrate Water Potential during Incubation on the Metabolism of Embryonic Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The O₂ consumption and CO₂ production of embryonic snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) were measured during incubation on substrates differing in water potential. Embryos incubated on a substrate with a water potential of-150 kPa (relatively wet) consumed more O₂ and produced more CO₂ than embryos incubated on a substrate with a water potential of-850 kPa (relatively dry). However, the greater metabolic rate of embryos incubated on the wet substrate was entirely due to their larger size and does not represent an intensification of their metabolism. Nor did embryos incubated on the wet substrate convert yolk more efficiently compared with those incubated on the dry substrate. Incubation on the wet substrate did, however, enable embryos to follow the same growth trajectory longer than did embryos incubated on the dry substrate.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: