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Thermoregulation by rhesus monkeys at different absolute humidities

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Abstract

The effect of relative humidity on thermoregulation has been well examined. Because the same relative humidity represents very different absolute humidities at different ambient temperatures, the present study was designed to examine the interaction of temperature and absolute humidity on the thermal balance of rhesus monkeys, Macaca mulatta. Thermal balance was examined in six unacclimated, unanesthetized, female rhesus monkeys at ambient temperatures of 25, 30, 35, and 40 °C and absolute humidities of 6, 22, and 40 torr. Monkeys were capable of achieving thermal balance under all conditions except at 40 °C with 40 torr absolute humidity, where experiments were stopped after rectal temperature exceeded 40.5 °C. At 40 °C, monkeys increased evaporative heat loss through both respiration and sweating; the slope of the relationship between evaporative heat loss and core temperature was attenuated by increases in absolute humidity. In contrast, absolute humidity had no direct effect on metabolic rate. The rise in body temperature under the conditions of high heat/high humidity was therefore most attributable to humidity-dependent decreases in evaporative heat loss.

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Fig. 1A–D
Fig. 2
Fig. 3 A

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Abbreviations

E tot :

total evaporative heat loss

HR :

heart rate

K :

thermal conductance

M :

metabolic rate

RQ :

respiratory quotient

T c :

core temperature

T sk :

mean skin temperature

VCO 2 :

carbon dioxide production

VO 2 :

oxygen consumption

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their appreciation to Roxanne Constable and Tommy Miller, without whose technical support this study would not have been completed. We also thank Dr. Harold G. Klemcke for statistical assistance. This work was funded by the US Air Force. The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this report are those of the authors and should not be construed as official Department of the Air Force or Department of the Army position, policy, or decision unless so designated by other documentation. Trade names of materials and/or products of commercial or nongovernment organizations are cited as needed for precision. These citations do not constitute official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial materials and/or products. The animals involved in this study were procured, maintained, and used in accordance with the Federal Animal Welfare Act and the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals,” prepared by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources—National Research Council. All animal experiments and animal care procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks Air Force Base. All experiments complied with the laws of the United States of America.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory Division, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, 3400 Rawley E. Chambers Avenue, Fort Sam Houston, TX , 78234, USA

    Thomas J. Walters & Kathy L. Ryan

  2. Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks AFB, TX , 78235, USA

    Stefan H. Constable

Authors
  1. Thomas J. Walters
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  2. Kathy L. Ryan
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  3. Stefan H. Constable
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Correspondence to Thomas J. Walters.

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Communicated by G. Heldmaier

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Walters, T.J., Ryan, K.L. & Constable, S.H. Thermoregulation by rhesus monkeys at different absolute humidities. J Comp Physiol B 174, 481–487 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-004-0434-4

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