Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

Heart rate was significantly different in both species during resting at different ambient temperatures which was not seen with ventilation frequency in the Tinamou. There was also a signficant difference in heart rate between Tinamou and chicken when comparing 1,5 with 3,0 km/h. The results indicate that even though Tinamou has a small heart when compared with chicken, a significant increase in heart rate during exercise was obtained, indicating that the Tinamou is able to compensate for the limited cardiac output by increasing heart rate. Further studies must still focus on studying other involved physiological mechanisms,, involved in the oxygen delivery to the tissues, e.g. blood affinity.