Do cardiorespiratory frequencies show entrainment with hopping in the tammar wallaby?

Abstract

Breathing, heart and gait frequencies, tidal volume, cardiac output, and rates of oxygen consumption were measured in tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii Desmarest) hopping on a treadmill. At speeds greater than 1.6 ms-1 the rate of metabolic power consumption was independent of hopping speeds. Blood lactate levels within the speed range where VO2 was independent of speed showed a mean increase of 4.8 mmol l-1. During bipedal hopping, the frequencies of breathing and limb movement are phase-locked in the ratio of 1:1. Inspiration begins as the animal leaves the ground and may be a passive process driven by a visceral piston. A relatively large central tendon in the diaphragm may correlate this function. Unlike breathing frequencies, cardiac frequencies show no entrainment with hopping. The site of dissipation of the presumed large arterial pressure excursion is unknown.