Comparison of blood viscosity in red‐eared sliders (Trachemys scripta) adapted to cold and room temperature

Abstract

Red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta) in their northern range undergo hibernation at temperatures of about 5°C, which may result in a profound bradycardia and a drop in blood pressure leading to very slow blood flows. Blood viscosity increases with decreasing temperature and at low shear rates associated with slow blood flows. To investigate the effects of temperature on the blood viscosity of these animals, 20 red-eared sliders were randomly assigned to each of two groups, cold environment (5°C) or room-temperature environment (25°C). At the end of 5 months treatment, hematocrit values, plasma protein concentration, and whole-blood viscosity values were determined for each turtle. Blood viscosity measurements were determined at five shear rates (3.75, 15, 30, 75, and 150 s–1) at 5°C and 25°C for all animals. No significant differences were found in hematocrit or plasma protein values between cold- adapted and room temperature-adapted animals. Whole-blood viscosity between groups at any shear rate at a temperature of 5°C was also nonsignificant. The only significant difference in blood viscosity between turtles adapted to cold and room temperature occurred at a shear rate of 3.75 s–1 at 25°C. The whole-blood viscosity of red-eared sliders, whether adapted to cold or to room temperature, tended to be lower as compared to other vertebrates under similar conditions of temperature, shear rate, and hematocrit. This innate lower blood viscosity may compensate for the potential detrimental effects on blood viscosity brought about by the low temperatures and decreased shear rates that occur in these animals during hibernation. J. Exp. Zool. 281:157–163, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.