DAVID E. FINK. 



in the body during hibernation. But it is not certain whether 

 they are produced from fat, protein, or both. Voit (27) holds 

 that fat may form sugar, which in turn can be stored up as 

 glycogen. 



The respiratory quotients obtained with the potato beetle 

 demonstrate a wide degree of variation during different periods 

 of hibernation. The respiratory quotient is lowest during the 



0.80 



075 



070 



O 



0.65 



CL 



(O 

 <D 



cn 



0.55 



0.50 



FIG. 10. Ordinates show the respiratory quotient based on respiratory metab- 

 olism (COz output and oxygen intake) of active beetles and of those after varying 

 periods of hibernation as compared to starving animals. 



first few months of dormancy and increases progressively. A 

 noteworthy increase in the quotients results when the animals 

 awaken to activity (Fig. 10). This may agree with the theory 

 brought forward by Weinland and Riehl, that carbohydrate is 

 being oxidized for the purpose of awakening. On the other 

 hand, during acute stages of starvation, potato beetles evince an 

 exceedingly reduced respiratory quotient (0.54). Dubois has 

 shown that a hibernating mammal loses as much in weight in 

 1 60 days as a starving animal in 12 days. Since it is recognized 

 that reserve nutrient materials are rapidly depleted during 

 starvation it is possible, perhaps, to correlate the diminished 

 respiratory quotient noted during the early phases of hibernation 



