Location
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Start Date
3-8-2010 9:00 AM
End Date
3-8-2010 12:00 PM
Description
Metabolism is derived from the Greek word metabole which translates to change. Metabolism is the sum total of chemical reactions that take place in an organism. Some reactions are exothermic (heat-producing) whereas others are endothermic (heat-absorbing). By measuring heat production (calorimetry), one can estimate metabolic rate. Historically, such measurements of direct calorimetry were difficult. As a result, most studies utilize indirect calorimetry wherein oxygen consumption and/or carbon dioxide production are measured. One limitation to this approach is that anaerobic metabolism is ignored. No commercially-available calorimeter is available for whole animal metabolic studies. We hypothesized that small rodent hibernators may experience significant anaerobic metabolism. In order to empirically determine the relative contributions of anaerobic and aerobic metabolism to a hibernator’s overall energetic budget, we built our own calorimeter.
Keywords
Anaerobiosis; Calorimeters; Calorimetry; Metabolism
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences
Language
English
Construction and use of a calorimeter to estimate the anaerobic contributions to metabolism
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Metabolism is derived from the Greek word metabole which translates to change. Metabolism is the sum total of chemical reactions that take place in an organism. Some reactions are exothermic (heat-producing) whereas others are endothermic (heat-absorbing). By measuring heat production (calorimetry), one can estimate metabolic rate. Historically, such measurements of direct calorimetry were difficult. As a result, most studies utilize indirect calorimetry wherein oxygen consumption and/or carbon dioxide production are measured. One limitation to this approach is that anaerobic metabolism is ignored. No commercially-available calorimeter is available for whole animal metabolic studies. We hypothesized that small rodent hibernators may experience significant anaerobic metabolism. In order to empirically determine the relative contributions of anaerobic and aerobic metabolism to a hibernator’s overall energetic budget, we built our own calorimeter.
Comments
Poster research sponsored by NSF EPSCoR