Title
Respiratory allocation and standard rate of metabolism in the African lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus
Author(s)
Seifert A.W., Chapman L.J.
Published
2006
Publisher
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Abstract
This paper quantifies the relationship between respiratory allocation (air vs. water) and the standard rate of metabolism (SMR) in the primitive air-breathing lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus. Simultaneous measurements of oxygen consumed from both air and water were made to determine the SMR at ecologically relevant aquatic oxygen levels for juveniles 2 to 221 g. Total metabolic rate was positively correlated with body mass with a scaling exponent of 0.78. Aerial oxygen consumption averaged 98% (range = 94% to 100%) of total respiratory allocation under low aquatic oxygen levels. Measurements of oxygen consumption made across a gradient of dissolved oxygen from normoxia to anoxia showed that P. aethiopicus maintains its SMR despite a change in respiratory allocation between water and air. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords
animal experiment; article; body mass; breathing; controlled study; fish; metabolic rate; metabolism; nonhuman; oxygen consumption; Protopterus aethiopicus; Animals; Body Weight; Energy Metabolism; Fishes; Fresh Water; Oxygen Consumption; Respiration; Animalia; Protopteridae; Protopterus aethiopicus
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PUB12274