Heat production of frogs under normoxic and hypoxic conditions : a microcalorimetric study using a gas flow system

Abstract Heat production of male frogs, Rana temporaria , was measured in a microcalorimeter through which a continuous flow of gas was passed in order to generate constant normoxic, hypoxic or anoxic conditions. The normoxic heat flow was 163 ± 37 μ W g body weight in frogs that had not been treated with curare and 149 ± 69 μ W g in animals immobilized with curare. During anoxia, frogs, whether curarized or not, decreased their heat production to about 25% of the respective normoxic control. In graded hypoxia (10% to 3% O 2 ), curarized frogs decreased their heat rate according to the grade of hypoxia they were subjected to.