Summary
The rate of body temperature change was determined as lizards,Dipsosaurus dorsalis, were heated and cooled between 20 and 40 ° C, at various ambient water vapor pressures (WVP). While changes in WVP did not affect the rate of cooling, the rate of temperature change during heating increased exponentially with increasing WVP (Fig. 4). The ratio of the rate of body temperature change during cooling to the rate of change during heating was reduced 48% in dead animals and 36% in live animals by increasing the WVP during heating from 8 to 47 mm Hg (Fig. 5).
The implication of these observations for studies of physiological thermoregulation in reptiles is discussed.
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This paper is part of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph. D. degree at the University of California, Los Angeles.
This study was completed under the guidance of the late Robert C. Lasiewski, to whom I am deeply indebted. Marvin H. Bernstein, Harvey B. Lillywhite and Larry Redekopp contributed valuable suggestions, and Gregory K. Snyder criticized the manuscript and generously offered numerous suggestions. This study was supported in part by funds from National Science Foundation Grants GB-3017 and GB-5347 to R. C. Lasiewski and U.S. Public Health Service Training Grant HE-5166.
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Weathers, W.W. Influence of water vapor pressure on the apparent capacity for physiological thermoregulation in reptiles. J. Comp. Physiol. 81, 301–308 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00693634
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00693634