Influence of body size and environmental temperature on carbon dioxide production by forest centipedes from southwestern North America.
We conducted a laboratory study to evaluate the mass and temperature dependence of carbon dioxide production by three dominant centipede species--Arctogeophilus umbraticus McNeill, Gonibius glyptocephalus Chamberlin, and Oabius sp.--from a montane forest in southwestern North America. We found that CO2 production (Q, microl/h) of resting, nonfasted individuals was related to body mass (M, mg live) and environmental temperature (T, K) as Q=e18.32M0.82e-0.49/kT, where e is the base of the natural logarithm and k is Boltzmann's constant (8.62x10(-5) eV/K). Our results indicated that the mass and temperature dependence of centipede metabolism is comparable with that of other arthropods. They also supported previous claims that centipede metabolic rate, for a given mass and temperature, is relatively low compared with other arthropods. Suggestions are given for using resulting metabolic rate equations in conjunction with data on abundance, body size, and environmental temperature to assess energy flux by centipede populations.
Pennington
Lindsey A
LA
Department of Sciences and Conservation Studies, College of Santa Fe, 1600 Saint Michaels Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505, USA.
Meehan
Timothy D
TD
D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000502:physiology*; D049628:Body Size; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D017753:Ecosystem; D009656:North America; D013696:Temperature; D014197:Trees
D002245:Carbon Dioxide