Comparative studies of the respiratory functions of mammalian blood. XII. Black galago ( Galago crassicaudatus argentatus) and brown galago ( Galago crassicaudatus crassicaudatus)

Abstract

Respiratory characteristics of blood from sixteen adult male galagos were studied (8 brown and 8 black). The average body weight of the black galagos was significantly higher than that of the brown (1.512±0.162 vs. 0.988±0.099 kg, respectively). The blood oxygen capacities for black and brown galagos were 20.6±1.9 and 21.5±1.8 vol percent, respectively. The Bohr factor for blood from the black galago was −0.550±0.039 (n=9) and for brown galago blood was −0.523±0.050 (n=6). There was no significant ( P<0.05) difference in P 50 values of blood from the two subspecies of galagos, 36.7±1.1 vs. 37.7±0.9 mm Hg for the black and brown, respectively. The Haldane effect for black galago blood was higher than that for brown (7.5 vs. 6.5 vol percent, respectively). The concentrations of 2.3-DPG were similar in black and brown galago blood, 16.16±1.52 vs. 16.37±0.76 μmol/g, Hb, respectively. Starch gel electrophoresis showed three major components of hemoglobin from both subspecies. There is a trend toward decreasing blood oxygen affinity as one ascends the primate evolutionary scale, which may be secondary to the trend toward a greater adult body weight.