Allometric scaling of lung volume and its consequences for marine turtle diving performance

dc.contributor.authorHochscheid, S.
dc.contributor.authorMcMahon, C.
dc.contributor.authorBradshaw, C.
dc.contributor.authorMaffucci, F.
dc.contributor.authorBentivegna, F.
dc.contributor.authorHays, G.
dc.date.issued2007
dc.description.abstractMarine turtle lungs have multiple functions including respiration, oxygen storage and buoyancy regulation, so lung size is an important indicator of dive performance. We determined maximum lung volumes (VL) for 30 individuals from three species (Caretta caretta n = 13; Eretmochelys imbricata n = 12; Natator depressus n = 5) across a range of body masses (Mb): 0.9 to 46 kg. VL was 114 ml kg−1 and increased with Mb with a scaling factor of 0.92. Based on these values for VL we demonstrated that diving capacities (assessed via aerobic dive limits) of marine turtles were potentially over-estimated when the VL-body mass effect was not considered (by 10 to 20% for 5 to 25 kg turtles and by > 20% for turtles ≥ 25 kg). While aerobic dive limits scale with an exponent of 0.6, an analysis of average dive durations in free-ranging chelonian marine turtles revealed that dive duration increases with a mass exponent of 0.51, although there was considerable scatter around the regression line. While this highlights the need to determine more parameters that affect the duration-body mass relationship, our results provide a reference point for calculating oxygen storage capacities and air volumes available for buoyancy control.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilitySandra Hochscheid, Clive R. McMahon, Corey J.A. Bradshaw, Fulvio Maffucci, Flegra Bentivegna and Graeme C. Hays
dc.identifier.citationComparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 2007; 148(2):360-367
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.cbpa.2007.05.010
dc.identifier.issn1095-6433
dc.identifier.issn1531-4332
dc.identifier.orcidBradshaw, C. [0000-0002-5328-7741]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/48255
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier Science Inc
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2007.05.010
dc.subjectAerobic dive limit
dc.subjectAllometry
dc.subjectBody mass
dc.subjectDive duration
dc.subjectDiving capacity
dc.subjectLung volume
dc.titleAllometric scaling of lung volume and its consequences for marine turtle diving performance
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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