The dynamics of mass growth and oxygen consumption in ontogenesis of the newt Pleurodeles waltl: 3. The postlarval period

Abstract

The relationship between animal growth and oxygen consumption was studied by the example of the postlarval period in ontogenesis of the newt Pleurodeles waltl. These parameters increased during the first 1.5 years after metamorphosis and then did not change. Gender differences were found for the body mass, growth rate, and rate of oxygen consumption, which in males were less than in females. The mass-specific rates of oxygen consumption in males and females were the same. The relationship between the body mass and the rate of oxygen consumption in immature and mature newts can be expressed by a common allometric equation.