Abstract
Oxygen consumption, air cell gases, hematology, blood gases and pH of Puna teal (Anas versicolor puna) embryos were measured at the altitude at which the eggs were laid (4150 m) in the Peruvian Andes. In contrast to the metabolic depression described by other studies on avian embryos incubated above 3700 m, O2 consumption of Puna teal embryos was higher than even that of some lowland avian embryos at equivalent body masses. Air cell O2 tensions dropped from about 80 toor in eggs with small embryos to about 45 toor in eggs containing a 14-g embryo; simultaneously air cell CO2 tension rose from virtually negligible amounts to around 26 torr. Arterial and venous O2 tensions (32–38 and 10–12 toor, respectively, in 12- to 14-g embryos) were lower than described previously in similarly-sized lowland wild avian embryos or chicken embryos incubated in shells with restricted gas exchange. The difference between air cell and arterial O2 tensions dropped significantly during incubation to a minimum of 11 torr, the lowest value recorded in any avian egg. Blood pH (mean 7.49) did not vary significantly during incubation. Hemoglobin concentration and hematocrits rose steadily throughout incubation to 11.5 g · 100 ml-1 and 39.9%, respectively, in 14-g embryos.
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Abbreviations
- ΔPO2 :
-
partial pressure gradient of O2
- BM:
-
body mass
- D :
-
diffusion coefficient
- G :
-
gas conductance (cm3·s-1·torr-1)
- \(G_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}} \) :
-
conductance to water vapor
- IP:
-
internal pipping of embryos
- P ACO2 :
-
partial pressure of carbon dioxide in air cell
- P AO2 :
-
partial pressure of oxygen in air cell
- P aCO2 :
-
partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood
- P aCO2 :
-
partial pressure of oxygen in arteries
- P H :
-
barometric pressure (torr)
- PCO2 :
-
partial pressure of carbon dioxide
- P IO2 :
-
partial pressure in ambiant air
- PO2 :
-
partial pressure of oxygen
- P VCO2 :
-
venous carbon dioxide partial pressure
- P VO2 :
-
mixed venous oxygen partial pressure
- SE:
-
standard error
- VO 2 :
-
oxygen consumption
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Carey, C., Dunin-Borkowski, O., Leon-Velarde, F. et al. Gas exchange and blood gases of Puna teal (Anas versicolor puna) embryos in the Peruvian Andes. J Comp Physiol B 163, 649–656 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369515
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369515