Meeting Abstract
P1.55 Thursday, Jan. 3 Extrapulmonary O2 uptake in the soft-shell turtle, Apalone spinifera. KUPSKY, Daniel/F*; BRETT, Pinckard; REESE, Scott; Kennesaw State University; Kennesaw State University; Kennesaw State University dkupsky@gmail.com
The soft-shell turtle, Apalone spinifera, can extract O2 from the water via, its skin and buccopharynx. The buccopharynx has been suggested to be the predominant avenue for gas exchange. Recent work, however, suggests that the skin may play a larger role at lower temperatures, at least in other turtle species (Chrysemys picta belli). We measured standard metabolic rate and then submerged turtles at room temperature to determine the fraction of O2 that these animals can extract from the water. The animals were able to extract 79% of their overall metabolic needs through extrapulmonarily means, but smaller animals were near parity with SMR demands while larger animals were dramatically deficient. It appears that the surface area to volume ratio provides smaller animals with increased aquatic oxygen extraction efficiency, suggesting that skin plays a larger role even at room temperature. Future experiments will look at the partitioning of gas exchange at several temperatures to determine if shifts in extraction occur.
