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First published online June 16, 2004
Journal of Experimental Biology 207, 2705-2713 (2004)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2004
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01077

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Effects of swimming on metabolic recovery from anoxia in the painted turtle

Daniel E. Warren^* and Donald C. Jackson

Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology, Brown University, Box G, Providence, RI 02912, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: Daniel_E_Warren{at}brown.edu)

Accepted 11 May 2004

Anoxic submergence in the Western painted turtle results in a severe metabolic acidosis characterized by high plasma lactate and depressed arterial pH, a response similar to that seen in other vertebrates following exhaustive exercise. We tested the hypothesis that 1 or 2 h of aerobic swimming following anoxic submergence would enhance the rate of lactate disappearance from the blood just as sustained aerobic exercise does in mammals and fishes following strenuous exercise. Following 2 h of anoxic submergence at 25° C and 1 h of recovery, the pattern of plasma lactate disappearance in turtles previously trained to swim in a flume and swum aerobically (2–3x resting _O2) for 1 or 2 h did not differ significantly from that in trained and untrained non-swimming turtles. Turtles were fully recovered by 7–10 h post-anoxia. The response patterns also did not differ between treatments for arterial P_O2, P_CO2, pH, and plasma glucose and HCO₃^–. Blood pH and plasma HCO₃^– recovered by 1 and 4 h, respectively. Despite the large lactate load, painted turtles are able to sustain periods of continuous swimming for at least 2 h without compromising metabolic recovery. Although this activity did not consistently enhance recovery, the rate of lactate disappearance was positively correlated with oxygen consumption rate in actively and passively recovering turtles. We suggest that active recovery was not a more important enhancer of recovery either because swimming may have had an inhibitory effect on hepatic gluconeogenesis or that there is variation in fuel utilization during the swimming period.

Key words: active recovery, anoxia, Chrysemys picta bellii, lactate, reptile, swimming, turtle