The functional significance of ventilation frequency, and its relationship to oxygen demand in the resting brown long-eared bat,Plecotus auritus

✍ Scribed by P. I. Webb; G. C. Hays; J. R. Speakman; P. A. Racey

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 494 KB
• Volume: 162
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0174-1578
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00398339

✦ Synopsis

Mean oxygen consumption and simultaneous ventilation frequency of nine non-reproductive brown long-eared bats (body mass 8.53-13.33 g) were measured on 159 occasions. Ambient (chamber) temperature at which the measurements were made ranged from 10.8 to 41.1 ~ Apneic ventilation occurred in 22 of the 59 measurements made when mean oxygen consumption was less than 0.5 ml 9 rain-~. No records of apneic ventilation were obtained when it was over 0.5 ml" min -z. The relationship between ventilation frequency and mean oxygen consumption depended on whether ventilation was apneic or non-apneic. When ventilation was non-apneic the relationship was positive and log-linear. When ventilation was apneic the relationship was loglog. Within the thermoneutral zone ventilation frequency was not significantly different from that predicted from allometric equations for a terrestrial mammal of equivalent body mass, but was significantly greater than that predicted for a bird. A reduction in the amount of oxygen consumed per breath occurred at ambient temperatures above the upper critical temperature (39 ~