New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
A circadian rhythm in oxygen consumption rate in juvenile tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)
Geoffrey F. Birchard
Department of Environmental Science & Policy
MSN 5F2
George Mason University
Fairfax
Virginia 22030, USA
gbirchar@gmu.edu
Nicola J. Nelson
Charles H. Daugherty
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
P.O. Box 600
Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract Tuatara have been given a high
conservation priority because of their unique taxonomic status and
limited distribution. Significant additional information on their
biology is needed to maximise the chances of successful long-term
management. The metabolic rate of 12 juvenile tuatara was measured as
oxygen consumption (ml h–1) over the daily
cycle under constant light conditions. It showed a circadian rhythm,
with peak rates from midday until midnight and a nadir in late morning
(1100–1200 h). These results are consistent with juveniles
having a late-afternoon to nocturnal activity pattern similar to that
of adults. These results support accounts of temporal variation in
behaviour and physiological rates in reptilian species, which have
significant implications for understanding the physiology and
energetics of reptiles generally.
Keywords tuatara; Sphenodon; circadian rhythm; metabolism; oxygen consumption
Z05037; Received 18 November 2005; accepted 19 April 2006; Online publication date 5 July 2006
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2006, Vol. 33: 185–188
0301–4223/06/3303–185 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2006
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