The physiology of hibernation among painted turtles: the midland painted turtle ( Chrysemys picta marginata)

Abstract

Midland painted turtles from Michigan were submerged at 3°C in normoxic and anoxic water. In predive, and in turtles submerged for up to 150 days, plasma PO 2, PCO 2, pH, [Cl −], [Na +], [K +], total Mg, total Ca, lactate, glucose, and osmolality were measured; hematocrit and mass were determined, and plasma [HCO 3 −] was calculated. Anoxic turtles developed a severe metabolic acidosis, accumulating lactate from a predive value of 4.4 mmol/L to a 150-day value of 185 mmol/L, associated with a fall in pH from 7.983 to 7.189. To buffer lactate increase, total calcium and magnesium rose from 3.7 and 2.6 to 58.9 and 11.8 mmol/L, respectively. Plasma [HCO 3 −] was titrated from 39.2 to 4.8 mmol/L in anoxic turtles. Turtles in normoxic water had only minor disturbances of their acid–base and ionic statuses, associated with a much smaller increase of lactate to 23 mmol/L; there was a marked increase in hematocrit from 29.1% to 42.1%. We suggest that it is ecologic, rather than phylogenetic, relationships that determine the responses of painted turtles to prolonged submergence associated with hibernation.