Oxygen affinity of monotreme blood: Hypoxic adaptations

✍ Scribed by Lutz, P. L. ;Dawson, T. J. ;Bonnet, E. ;Fanning, D.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1989
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 437 KB
• Volume: 251
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-104X
• DOI: 10.1002/jez.1402510304

✦ Synopsis

Whole-blood oxygen affinity was measured for the duck-billed platypus and the echidna. For the platypus, p50 was 26.8 Torr O2 a t pH 7.4, PCOz = 36 Torr, and 32.0"C. The H + Bohr coefficient was -0.286 and was oxygen saturation-independent. However, a t elevated PC02 (69 Torr) the H f Bohr effect declined markedly a t saturation values below 60%. No specific effect of C 0 2 on the p50 echidna whole blood was found. In the echidna, p50 was 24.0 Torr O2 at pH 7.4, PCOz = 36 Torr, and 32.0"C. The H + Bohr effect was -0.280 and was also saturation-independent. By contrast, a substantial specific COz effect on blood O2 affinity was found (Alog p50iA log PC02 = 0.114). These data are related to the habitat and mode of life of the respective species.