Leopard Frog Lab Report

Abstract

To better understand the metabolism of freeze resistant ectotherms we studied the hibernation of Rana Pipiens (leopard frog). My hypothesis is that as temperature decreases and increases the metabolism of the leopard frog will respond in direct correlation. We tested this hypothesis in a sealed and controlled environment with per-determined concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide at a specific rate of 50 cc per minute, and then measured the output of the carbon dioxide at room temperature and every five minutes as we decreased temperatures to 10 degrees Celsius and then began slowly raising them again after reaching 10 degrees Celsius. The results showed a depressed metabolic rate at an average temperature of 12. 5 degrees Celsius

I believe that the surface area to volume ratio might play a significant role in the recovery of the leopard frog from the hibernation state.

Introduction

Frogs are animals, therefore they will produce carbon dioxide when they use vascular respiration. Carbon dioxide is produced by animals as they metabolize glucose to generate ATP. The steps of metabolism that produce carbon dioxide is glycolysis, acetyl-CoA production, and the Krebs cycle. Hemoglobins then come to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide. At which point frogs and other animals then exhale carbon dioxide. Frogs respiration occurs in the lungs and over the entire well vascularized skin. (Abraham, 2017). Northern Leopard Frogs is indigenous to the Great Lakes of North America, this is a cold wet environment. (Edsall, 1998) Leopard frogs would be most adapted to a freezing environment. Water

You can see this phenomenon on the three tables included: figure 1.1- data set one, figure 1.2 - data set two, figure 1.3 – data set three. We arrived at our calculations for carbon dioxide exchange rate by finding the product of the difference of Carbon dioxide present, between original and final carbon dioxide, and by the flow rate at micro-liters per hour (.003). We determined our metabolic rate by finding the quotient of the carbon dioxide exchange rate and the mass of the animal in grams. Our data contradicts my hypothesis. The metabolic rate of the leopard frog did not increase in direct correlation with the increase in temperature after experiencing drastically depressed metabolic rates Figure 1 – Data set one: metabolic rate became depressed at 15.1 degrees Celsius and remain depressed for the rest of the experiment despite climbing temperatures at the 35 min mark until the experiment concluded at 15 degrees