Biomaterial Database

The effects of environmental temperature, hypoxia, and hypercapnia on the breathing pattern of saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus). 1998

S L Munns, and P B Frappell, and B K Evans

Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

This study aimed to describe the effects of change in environmental temperature, hypoxia, and hypercapnia on the breathing pattern of Crocodylus porosus. Increased environmental temperature, hypoxia, and hypercapnia each caused an increase in minute ventilation and changes in breathing pattern. Breathing frequency increased and the duration of the nonventilatory period decreased in response to all three conditions. Under hypercapnia tidal volume also increased, with no change in rate of inspiration. The number of breaths per breathing burst decreased with increased temperature but remained unaltered under hypoxia. Hypercapnia reduced the number of breaths per burst at 20 degrees C, but the number did not decrease further at 30 degrees C. The results support the idea that the responses to increased temperature, hypoxia, and hypercapnia are under separate control but that some effects of hypercapnia and temperature may involve a common regulatory pathway.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009994	Osmolar Concentration	The concentration of osmotically active particles in solution expressed in terms of osmoles of solute per liter of solution. Osmolality is expressed in terms of osmoles of solute per kilogram of solvent.	Ionic Strength,Osmolality,Osmolarity,Concentration, Osmolar,Concentrations, Osmolar,Ionic Strengths,Osmolalities,Osmolar Concentrations,Osmolarities,Strength, Ionic,Strengths, Ionic
D012119	Respiration	The act of breathing with the LUNGS, consisting of INHALATION, or the taking into the lungs of the ambient air, and of EXHALATION, or the expelling of the modified air which contains more CARBON DIOXIDE than the air taken in (Blakiston's Gould Medical Dictionary, 4th ed.). This does not include tissue respiration (	Breathing
D002245	Carbon Dioxide	A colorless, odorless gas that can be formed by the body and is necessary for the respiration cycle of plants and animals.	Carbonic Anhydride,Anhydride, Carbonic,Dioxide, Carbon
D006935	Hypercapnia	A clinical manifestation of abnormal increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in arterial blood.
D000489	Alligators and Crocodiles	Large, long-tailed reptiles, including caimans, of the order Loricata.	Caimans,Crocodiles,Alligators,Caymans,Alligator,Caiman,Cayman,Crocodile,Crocodiles and Alligators
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000860	Hypoxia	Sub-optimal OXYGEN levels in the ambient air of living organisms.	Anoxia,Oxygen Deficiency,Anoxemia,Deficiency, Oxygen,Hypoxemia,Deficiencies, Oxygen,Oxygen Deficiencies
D012965	Sodium Chloride	A ubiquitous sodium salt that is commonly used to season food.	Sodium Chloride, (22)Na,Sodium Chloride, (24)NaCl
D013696	Temperature	The property of objects that determines the direction of heat flow when they are placed in direct thermal contact. The temperature is the energy of microscopic motions (vibrational and translational) of the particles of atoms.	Temperatures
D013990	Tidal Volume	The volume of air inspired or expired during each normal, quiet respiratory cycle. Common abbreviations are TV or V with subscript T.	Tidal Volumes,Volume, Tidal,Volumes, Tidal