The effect of temperature on digestive efficiency in the herbivorous lizard, Dipsosaurus dorsalis
Citation
Henry J Harlow, Mark Hoffman, and Stanley S Hillman, The effect of temperature on digestive efficiency in the herbivorous lizard, Dipsosaurus dorsalis: .
Summary
1. There is a significant correlation between body temperatures of the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis and the proportion of ingested food utilized. 2. At temperatures of 33, 37, and 41° C apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) were 54.3%, 62.8% and 69.5% respectively. Lizards kept at 28° C did not pass food beyond the stomach and died, while lizards cycled between 28° C and 41° C had an ADC predicted for the mean of those temperatures. 3. When corrected for fibrous material, these values became 70%, 82% and 89% which agree well with other herbivorous lizards on a low fiber diet. 4. Field passage rates of lizards fed markers correspond to recorded laboratory passage time of two to three days. 5. The data indicate that thermoregulation [...]
Summary
1. There is a significant correlation between body temperatures of the lizardDipsosaurus dorsalis and the proportion of ingested food utilized. 2. At temperatures of 33, 37, and 41° C apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) were 54.3%, 62.8% and 69.5% respectively. Lizards kept at 28° C did not pass food beyond the stomach and died, while lizards cycled between 28° C and 41° C had an ADC predicted for the mean of those temperatures. 3. When corrected for fibrous material, these values became 70%, 82% and 89% which agree well with other herbivorous lizards on a low fiber diet. 4. Field passage rates of lizards fed markers correspond to recorded laboratory passage time of two to three days. 5. The data indicate that thermoregulation byDipsosaurus dorsalis at higher body temperatures within its activity range increases the digestive efficiency. The net energetic advantage of this relationship remains uncertain because of unknown routine energetic costs and energy processing rates at different temperatures.
Published in Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology, volume 111, issue 1, on pages 1 - 6, in 1976.