Ventilatory and circulatory O2 convection at 4000 m in pigeon at neutral or cold temperature

Awake domestic pigeons, either maintained at 22 degrees C (series I) or acutely exposed at 2 degrees C (series II), were studied in a hypobaric chamber at 140 m and at various stages during a 4-week exposure to 4000 m. Steady-state pulmonary ventilation (Vg) and breathing pattern (VT, fr), oxygen consumption (MO2), O2 concentrations and pressures in the arterial (a) and mixed venous blood (v), hematocrit (Ht) and acid-base status in arterial blood, systolic blood pressure and heart frequency (fH) were measured. From these data cardiac output (Vb) and stroke volume (Vs), ventilatory and circulatory requirements (Vg/MO2, Vb/MO2), extraction of O2 from inspired air (EgO2) and blood EbO2), and capacitance coefficient of blood for oxygen (betabo2) were calculated. At 140 m, by comparison with predicted values for mammals of same body weight, pigeons at 22 degrees C extracted more O2 from the inspired gas, with lower fR, larger VT, similar Vg; they extracted O2 from the blood like mammals, with lower fH, larger VS, greater Vb, similar betabO2=70 mumol-L-1-torr-1. Acute exposure to 2 degrees C provoked a two-fold increase in MO2 which was achieved by doubling Vg and increasing O2 extraction from the blood. At 4000 m, in both series, pigeons hyperventilated within the first 30 min, with a resultant hypocapnic alkalosis comparable to that in mammals. Further hyperventilation with consequent greater hypocapnia and increase of arterial PO2 was complete beyond 3 hr. After a few weeks, the pH remained 0.07 above control normoxic value, Ht increased from 45 to 52%, betabO2 reached about 172 mumol-L-1-torr-1. At 2 degrees C, Vb also increased, mainly due to tachycardia.