Effects of temperature and concomitant change in pH on muscle

Contractile performance decreases with a decrease in temperature and increases with an increase in pH. In general, a decrease in ambient temperature is associated with an increase of the pH of the intracellular and extracellular fluids of ectotherms. Thus the concomitant increase in pH will to some extent counteract the effect of the decrease in temperature. We review the magnitude of this effect and show that it is modest for force (24%) but is small or negligible for speed or for variables involving time. Experiments with skinned fibers yield similar results to those with intact fibers. We argue that one important effect of the concomitant increase in pH is that it causes an increase in calcium sensitivity and that there may be a considerable metabolic saving associated with releasing less calcium at lower temperatures.