The Physiological Action of Abnormally High Temperatures on Poikilotherm Animals1

Abstract

The oxygen consumption of blowfly larvae at sublethal and lethal high temperatures at the beginning of the determination is entirely dependent on the okygen pressure, but after about 1 hr. at 42°C. it is higher at 20 and 10 % partial pressure of oxygen than at either 100 or 5 %. Death at high temperatures is not due to lack of oxygen, but may be due to the accumulation of acid waste products of the metabolism.The basal oxygen consumption remains unchanged for some time after the organism has been irreversibly injured by the high temperature.Blowfly larvae resist the damaging effect of high temperatures slightly better in air (20 % oxygen) than in either very high (100 %) or very low (less than 10 %) concentrations of oxygen.