The effect of body mass on the mass specific metabolic rate of Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii and Eulamprus quoyii

Abstract

Measuring metabolic rate is important to understand energy acquisition, transfer and expenditure within an organism. Mass specific metabolic rate is also known as metabolic intensity. The metabolic intensities of Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii and Eulamprus quoyii were measured within a closed system through the amount of oxygen depleted when at rest. There was found to be a negative correlation between the mass of the skink and the metabolic intensity, or the oxygen consumption per hour. The average mass of P. entrecasteauxii was found to be lower than E. quoyii, and P. entrecasteauxii was found to have a lower metabolic intensity than E. quoyii, which follows Kleiber's law. The difference in metabolic intensity may be influenced by the climate of the microhabitats that the skinks live in.