Effects of altered ambient temperature on metabolic rate during CO2 inhalation

The purpose of this study was to determine if the changes in O2 consumption (VO2) during CO2 inhalation could in part be due to stimulation of thermogenesis for homeothermy. Twelve ponies were exposed for 30-min periods to inspired CO2 (PIco2) levels of less than 0.7, 14, 28, and 42 Torr during the winter at 5 (neutral) and 23 degrees C ambient temperatures (TA) and during the summer at 21 (neutral TA), 30, and 12 degrees C. Elevating TA in both seasons resulted in an increased pulmonary ventilation (VE) and breathing frequency (f) (P less than 0.01) but no significant increase in VO2 (P greater than 0.05). Decreasing TA in the summer resulted in a decrease in VE and f (P less than 0.01) but no significant change in VO2 (P greater than 0.05). At neutral TA in both seasons, VO2 increased progressively (P less than 0.05) as PIco2 was increased from 14 to 28 and 42 Torr. The increases in VO2 during CO2 inhalation were attenuated (P less than 0.05) at elevated TA and accentuated at the relatively cold TA in the summer (P less than 0.05). Respiratory heat loss (RHL) during CO2 inhalation was inversely related to TA. Above a threshold RHL of 2 cal X min-1 X m-2, metabolic heat production (MHP) increased 0.3 cal X min-1 X m-2 for each unit increase in RHL during CO2 inhalation at the neutral and elevated TA. However, during cold stress in the summer, the slope of the MHP-RHL relationship was 1.6, indicating an increased MHP response to RHL.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)