Allometry of red cell oxygen binding and hematology in larvae of the salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum.
Very few studies have attempted to relate blood characteristics to body mass within, rather than between, species. Thus, respiratory and hematological properties of the blood of larval tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) have been measured in animals ranging in body mass from approximately 2 to 112 g. This amphibian species was chosen because larvae of very different body mass may be of similar developmental stage, minimizing interference from ontogenetic factors. Mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular Hb, hematocrit, blood Hb concentration, blood O2 capacity and Hill's n were all positively correlated with body mass (P less than 0.005). Blood O2 affinity (P50) and Bohr shift were not significantly correlated with body mass (P greater than 0.20). The findings are discussed in the context of the general effect of body mass upon metabolic rate in vertebrates, as well as environmental and biological factors specific to larvae of the tiger salamander.
Burggren
W W
WW
Department of Zoology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003.
Dupré
R K
RK
Wood
S C
SC
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012454:Salamandra / Q000196:embryology*
D006454:Hemoglobins; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins