Role of the post-hepatic septum on breathing during locomotion in Tupinambis merianae (Reptilia: Teiidae)

Abstract

Tupinambis merianae increased minute ventilation by increasing both tidal volume and breathing frequency during sustained locomotion at 0.17 m s-1. Animals in which the post-hepatic septum (PHS) had been surgically removed were not able to increase tidal volume during locomotion. Tegus without PHS compensated, in part, by increasing breathing frequency above the levels observed for tegus with intact PHS, but minute ventilation remained less than in the control animals. The rate of oxygen consumption and the air convection requirement, however, were not significantly different between animals with and without PHS, nor at the tested speeds was endurance affected by the removal of the PHS. These data suggest that the PHS facilitates ventilation by acting as a mechanical barrier, preventing the viscera from moving cranially during physical exertion.