Thermal influence on metabolic rates and a bioenergetic budget for Notophthalmus viridescens from southwestern Massachusetts

Abstract

Notophthalmus viridescens has been reported to overwinter on land in southwestern Massachusetts, whereas these newts hibernate in water in southwestern Ohio. Aquatic and terrestrial metabolic rates of newts from Massachusetts were measured at different exercise speeds and acclimation temperatures in order to better understand their seasonal energetic budgets. Oxygen uptake at 25°C increased with increased swimming and walking speeds and reached a plateau at speeds of 60 and 90 cm/min, whereas at 5°C, oxygen consumption linearly increased with swimming speeds. Aerobic transport costs of the newts thus decreased with increased locomotor speeds at 25°C but remained unchanged when the newts were exercised in water at 5°C. Anaerobic metabolic rates of the newts on land were little affected by acclimation temperature but also increased linearly with walking speeds at both 5°C and 25°C. Anaerobiosis contributed most of the energy for the locomotion of the newts. These newts stored an average of 12 mg lipd/g body mass, which could apparently support their survival at 5°C for 46 days without food on land but only for 18 days in water. These calculations, based on measured metabolic rates and energy reserves, support field observations of red-spotted newts hibernating on land in Massachusetts.