Brief Chilling to Subzero Temperature Increases Cold Hardiness in the Hatchling Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology : PBZ
Timothy J MuirRichard E Lee

Abstract

Although many studies of ectothermic vertebrates have documented compensatory changes in cold hardiness associated with changes of season, much less attention has been paid to adjustment of physiological functions and survival limits following more acute exposure to cold. We investigated the ability of hatchling painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) to increase cold hardiness in response to brief exposure to a subzero temperature. Winter-acclimated turtles were "cold conditioned" by chilling them in the supercooled (unfrozen) state to -7 degrees C over a few days before returning them to 4 degrees C. These turtles fared no better than control animals in resisting freezing when cooled in the presence or absence of ice and exogenous ice nuclei. Survival following tests of freeze tolerance (freezing for about 70 h; minimum body temperature, -3.75 degrees C) was nominally higher in cold-conditioned turtles than in controls (36% vs. 13%, respectively), although the difference was not statistically significant. Of the survivors, cold-conditioned turtles apparently recovered sooner. Turtles subjected to cold shock (supercooling to -13 degrees C for 24 h, followed by rewarming to 0 degrees C) were strongly affected by cold conditioning: al...Continue Reading

Citations

May 15, 2010·Die Naturwissenschaften·Patrick Joseph BakerJon P Costanzo
Feb 8, 2014·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Alice M ReynoldsJon P Costanzo
Jul 28, 2019·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Nicholas M TeetsRichard E Lee
Dec 22, 2019·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Emily A W Nadeau, Nicholas M Teets
Feb 10, 2017·Physiological Reviews·Kenneth B Storey, Janet M Storey
Apr 15, 2017·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·James M WieblerTimothy J Muir
Feb 14, 2020·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Nicholas M TeetsYuta Kawarasaki
May 17, 2013·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Jon P Costanzo, Richard E Lee

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