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Journal of Experimental Biology 138,471-485 (1988)
Published by Company of Biologists 1988

Exercising with and Without Lungs : I. The Effects of Metabolic Cost, Maximal Oxygen Transport and Body Size on Terrestrial Locomotion in Salamander Species

ROBERT J. FULL ¹, BRUCE D. ANDERSON ², CASEY M. FINNERTY ³, and MARTIN E. FEDER ³

¹ Department of Zoology, University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
² Department of Anatomy, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
³ Department of Anatomy, The University of Chicago Chicago, IL 60637

To whom offprint reprints should be addressed.

Metabolic cost, oxygen consumption (M_O2, respiratory structure and body size interact to determine the capacity of salamanders for terrestrial locomotion. Salamanders respiring _via both lungs and skin, Ambystoma laterale and A. tigrinum, or with skin alone, Desmognathus ochrophaeus and D. quadramaculatus, attained a steady-state M_O2 during exercise in a treadmill respirometer. Endurance was correlated with the speed at which maximal M_O2, was attained (V_MO2.max). Low aerobic costs of transport (60–80% lower than reptiles of similar mass) increased V_MO_2.max. However, in lungless salamanders a low maximum M_O2 decreased V_MO2.max significantly. M_O2 increased only 1.6- to 3.0-fold above resting rates in active lungless salamanders, whereas it could increase 3.5- to 7.0-fold in active lunged salamanders. Lungless salamanders attained maximal M_O2 at half to one-tenth the speed of lunged animals. Lungless salamanders fatigued in 20 min or less at speeds that lunged salamanders could sustain for 1–2 h. Body size also affected the capacity for oxygen uptake during activity and locomotor performance. The large lungless salamander D. quadramaculatus attained maximum M_O2 even at its lowest rate of travel. Cutaneous gas exchange does not provide lungless salamanders with gas transport capacities found in lunged animals. However, only small increases in M_O2 may be required for modest levels of activity.

Key words: locomotion, salamanders, energetics, aerobic metabolism, endurance

Accepted on March 21, 1988

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