Abstract
Simultaneous measurements of pulmonary and cutaneous oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, pulmonary ventilation and heart rate were made on the diamondback water snake,Natrix rhombifera at 28°C using body plethysmography. Resting lung volume, maximum lung volume and tracheal volume were also measured. The following mean values were measured in undisturbed snakes breathing room air: total (pulmonary and cutaneous) O2 uptake 46 μmol · (kg min)−1; total CO2 output, 49 μmol · (kg min)−1; tidal volume, 12 ml (BTPS) · kg−1; ventilatory rate, 6.9 min−1; heart rate, 42 min−1. From the measurements of tracheal volume, the effective (alveolar) ventilation was estimated as approximately 70% of total ventilation resulting in effective pulmonary $$P_{O_2 }$$ and $$P_{CO_2 }$$ of 130 Torr and 20 Torr respectively. Cutaneous exchange accounted for 8.1% of the total $$\dot M_{O_2 }$$ and 12.4% of the total $$\dot M_{CO_2 }$$ . Resting lung volume of anaesthetized snakes was 75 ml (BTPS) · kg−1, maximum lung volume was 341 ml (BTPS) · kg−1 and tracheal volume was 3.9 ml (BTPS) · kg−1.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.