Variation in Freeze Tolerance Between Species
Figure 1. Adapted from Packard et al., 1999.
Photo by Christian Oldham
| Home | Variation in Freeze Tolerance Between Species |
| Freeze Avoidance and Freeze Tolerance: An Overview | Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) hatchlings make use of morphological characteristics to successfully overwinter (Packard et al., 1999). Hatchlings of this species exhibit tolerance to the freezing of body tissues (Costanzo et al., 1995). A study examining the ability of hatchling painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), and sliders (Trachemys scripta) to survive freezing. Hatchlings were frozen at -2.0 degrees Celsius after ice inoculation at -0.7 degrees Celsius (near the equilibrium freezing point of body fluid). All hatchlings survived freezing for 30 hours, with slider and snapping turtles experiencing greater mortality at longer freezing times (Packard et al., 1999). |
| Supercooling |
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| Freeze Avoidance in Overwintering Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) Hatchlings | |
| Freeze Avoidance in Overwintering Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) | |
| Freeze Tolerance in Overwintering Slider (Trachemys scripta) Hatchlings | Figure 1. Adapted from Packard et al., 1999. |
| Freeze Tolerance in Overwintering Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) Hatchlings | A study of hatchling painted turtle freeze tolerance identified potential cryoprotectant activity. Hatchlings exhibited elevated levels of glucose present in liver tissue and blood, as well as increased levels of blood glycerol (Storey et al., 1988). |
| Literature Cited |
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Photo by Christian Oldham |
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