Respiratory metabolism of Alaskozetes antarcticus

Measurements of oxygen consumption in all post-embryonic life stages of U.K. cultured Alaskozetes antarcticus (Acari: Cryptostigmata) showed that log10 respiration rate was linearly related to log10 live weight, while loge metabolic rate was linearly related to the reciprocal of the absolute temperature over the range 273–283°K, although the magnitude of response to temperature shown by different life stages was found to vary. Differences were apparent between cultured animals and previous measurements made on field animals, especially in respect of the relationship between respiration rate and live weight. The data were found to support the hypothesis of cold adaptation by means of metabolic rate elevation and a possible mechanism in discussed.