Oxygen Consumption of Adult Petromyzon marinus in Relation to Body Weight and Temperature

Abstract

The logarithm of standard oxygen consumption of adult Petromyzon marinus increased linearly with the logarithm of weight at each of 5, 10, and 15 C. The proportionate change in standard oxygen consumption for a given change in temperature was independent of size, the mean regression coefficient being 0.949. Standard oxygen consumption for a sea lamprey of fixed weight increased from 52.7 to 124.0 mg/kg per hr over the range 5–20 C with the greatest changes occurring between 10–15 C, 64.5–114.3 mg/kg per hr. Active oxygen consumption was estimated for a few individuals at 10 C and found to be 475.5 mg/kg per hr, within the range reported for teleosts.