Lung, blood and muscle characteristics of muskrats following 9–11 weeks acclimation to a holding tank that restricted aquatic activity either to surface swimming (controls) or to diving
| . | Surface swimmers (N=12) . | Divers (N=12) . | P . |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingesta-free body mass (g) | 914.5±42.3 | 845.2±53.2 | 0.319* |
| Total lung capacity (ml STPD kg-1) | 52.19±1.72 | 51.11±2.99 | 0.758* |
| Blood volume (ml 100 g-1) | 9.30±0.56 | 10.31±0.74 | 0.144 |
| Plasma volume (ml 100 g-1) | 4.82±0.30 | 5.04±0.39 | 0.331 |
| Haematocrit (%) | 46.18±0.64 | 49.47±1.07 | 0.0075 |
| Haemoglobin (g 100 ml-1) | 17.85±0.36 | 19.97±0.43 | 0.0005 |
| MCHC (%) | 38.69±0.66 | 40.44±0.74 | 0.046 |
| Blood O2 capacity (vol%) | 23.92±0.48 | 26.76±0.57 | 0.0005 |
| Erythrocyte 2,3-DPG (μmol ml-1 packed red cells) | 5.45±0.41 | 5.58±0.29 | 0.399 |
| Skeletal muscle Mb (mg g-1 wet tissue) | 12.42±0.47 | 12.29±0.24 | 0.466 |
| . | Surface swimmers (N=12) . | Divers (N=12) . | P . |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingesta-free body mass (g) | 914.5±42.3 | 845.2±53.2 | 0.319* |
| Total lung capacity (ml STPD kg-1) | 52.19±1.72 | 51.11±2.99 | 0.758* |
| Blood volume (ml 100 g-1) | 9.30±0.56 | 10.31±0.74 | 0.144 |
| Plasma volume (ml 100 g-1) | 4.82±0.30 | 5.04±0.39 | 0.331 |
| Haematocrit (%) | 46.18±0.64 | 49.47±1.07 | 0.0075 |
| Haemoglobin (g 100 ml-1) | 17.85±0.36 | 19.97±0.43 | 0.0005 |
| MCHC (%) | 38.69±0.66 | 40.44±0.74 | 0.046 |
| Blood O2 capacity (vol%) | 23.92±0.48 | 26.76±0.57 | 0.0005 |
| Erythrocyte 2,3-DPG (μmol ml-1 packed red cells) | 5.45±0.41 | 5.58±0.29 | 0.399 |
| Skeletal muscle Mb (mg g-1 wet tissue) | 12.42±0.47 | 12.29±0.24 | 0.466 |
Asterisks denote two-tailed P values; all other P values are for one-tailed comparisons.