Energy Flow in Spermophilus franklinii

The energy flow value of Spermophilus franklinii based on results from oxygen and food consumption experiments for an estimated one animal per hectare for 1 day was 123.8 kilocalories. This value would be nearly equivalent to the energy of maintenance as a negligible amount would be used for growth in such a brief period. Actual metabolizable energy calculated from food consumption experiments was about double the estimated resting metabolizable energy ascertained from oxygen consumption. Oxygen consumption can be expressed as Y = 1.73–0.041 X for metabolic responses to ambient temperature changes below 26.5°C. The thermoneutral zone (26.5 to 31°C) gave a value of 0.64 cubic centimeters of oxygen per gram per hour. These values were close to those predicted by relating metabolism to body weight.