We determined the in vitro respiratory and acid–base properties of blood and tissue from Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempi). Blood O2 dissociation curves of ridley turtles were sigmoid, with a P50 of 31.2 ± 0.3 (mean ± SD) torr at 25 °C and pH 7.51. Increments in temperature or [Formula: see text] were associated with a shift of the O2 dissociation curves to the right and, hence, a reduction in haemoglobin–O2 binding affinity. The apparent heat of oxygenation, which is a measure of the temperature sensitivity of haemoglobin–O2 affinity, was −10.5 kcal/mol O2. The degree of cooperativity of O2 for hemoglobin binding sites, as measured by the Hill coefficient, increased at higher temperatures (20–30 °C at a [Formula: see text] of 37 torr), but was unaffected by changes in [Formula: see text] (37–52 torr at 25 °C). The CO2-Bohr effect was −0.34 torr/pH unit. The CO2 capacitance coefficient of whole blood and plasma declined as a function of increased [Formula: see text] (22 °C). Non-bicarbonate buffer capacities (22 °C) were 19.7, 18.5, and 6.4 slykes for whole blood, true plasma, and separated plasma, respectively. The skeletal muscle myoglobin content was 3.1 ± 0.84 mg∙g−1 of tissue. The respiratory and acid–base properties of blood and tissue from Kemp's ridley sea turtles are consistent with those of species that utilize lung O2 stores during long-term aerobic dives. The enhanced haemoglobin–O2 temperature sensitivity exhibited by the ridley turtle could be a physiological adaptation for life in coastal environments that typically undergo substantial fluctuations in temperature.
Satellite Tracking Can Inform Population-Level Dispersal to Foraging Grounds of Post-nesting Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles
