The ability of freshwater turtles to exchange respiratory gases with their aquatic environment is well known and facilitates prolonged dive durations among several species. Three main sites have been implicated in aquatic respiration (skin, cloaca and buccopharynx) yet the relative contribution of each to total aquatic O2 uptake has been poorly examined among Australian chelids. In this study we investigated the diving physiology of Elseya albagula, a bimodally respiring turtle from Queensland, Australia. Through partitioning experiments we tested the hypothesis that the cloacal bursae are the main site of aquatic O2 uptake in this species. Aquatic oxygen uptake accounted for 70 ± 8% of total oxygen requirements demonstrating the impressive ability of the species to respire underwater, although this was negatively correlated with body mass. Further, the cloacal bursae were found to account for 48% of total aquatic oxygen uptake, providing strong evidence that they are the primary site of aquatic respiration in E. albagula.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
NotSpecified|
October 14 2011
The importance of the cloacal bursae as the primary site of aquatic respiration in the freshwater turtle, Elseya albagula
Sean FitzGibbon;
Sean FitzGibbon
1
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia QLD 4072
Search for other works by this author on:
Craig Franklin
Craig Franklin
1
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia QLD 4072
Search for other works by this author on:
Australian Zoologist (2010) 35 (2): 276–282.
Citation
Sean FitzGibbon, Craig Franklin; The importance of the cloacal bursae as the primary site of aquatic respiration in the freshwater turtle, Elseya albagula. Australian Zoologist 1 January 2010; 35 (2): 276–282. doi: https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2010.016
Download citation file:
How do RZS NSW members access the full text papers?
If you are a current RZS NSW member (with publications), please access the full text of papers by visiting https://www.rzsnsw.org.au/Australian-Zoologist-access-(Members-Only) (you will be asked to log in to RZS NSW). Do not log in at the top of this current page for access.
Citing articles via
Landscape-scale monitoring for forest fauna is achievable: a case study using remote sensors, artificial intelligence and robust analytics
Leroy Gonsalves, Brad Law, Chris Slade
Towards an integrated approach to amphibian conservation: a case study of the Littlejohn's tree frog (Litoria littlejohni)
Rose Upton, Kaya Klop-Toker, Nadine Nolan, Samantha Wallace, Anne Ibbotson, Sarah Stock, Roshan Patel, Phil Jobling, John Clulow, Michael Mahony, Alex Callen
Reimagining urban habitats to benefit people and nature
Caragh G. Threlfall, Claire Farrell, Manuel E. Lequerica Tamara, Dieter F. Hochuli
The 1930 Mawbanna Thylacine: The evidence and photographic legacy of the last confirmed wild kill
Gareth Linnard, Stephen R. Sleightholme