Meeting Abstract

P1.106  Friday, Jan. 4  Resting Metabolism of the Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina GREBE, E.M.*; GIENGER, C.M.; Austin Peay State University egrebe@my.apsu.edu

Measuring the Standard Metabolic Rates (SMR) of ectotherms is key to understanding their thermal physiology and understanding the potential impacts of an altered global climate. We measured SMR of box turtles from a population in Tennessee (USA) to determine how variation in body size and temperature influence patterns of resting energy use. Our results indicate that across both juvenile and adult body sizes, individuals tested at 30C have approximately double the SMR as individuals tested at 20C. There is also no indication that a difference exists in male versus female SMR at the two temperatures. This information will also aid in assessing potential effects of global climate change on alterations of energy budgets of free-ranging box turtles.