1

BIOLOGY 1A03
Cellular and Molecular Biology

Theme 1 Applied Lecture #1

“Amazing energy reserves in animals”
 2
Energy to survive harsh environments? -camels

Myth or Fact?
“Camel humps are filled with water”
 3
The anatomy of the camel hump

• The camel hump consists of a giant

mound of fat! (tristerain)

• The hump can weigh up to 80lbs!

• Allows the animal to survive a long time

(up to 2 weeks) with limited food

Why bother stacking a mound of fat on my back?

 4
Why are fats important for camels?
• Camels humps do not store water, they
store the fat tristearin
C57H110O6
(This is a LOT of potential energy!)
breaking • This fat is also a source of water when it
of bonds
releases
energy is metabolized, allowing for camels to
undergo long periods without drinking

C57H110O6 + 163O2à 114 CO2 + 110 H20

Camels do not generally use this fat for water production…

 5
What’s the real deal?
• Camels can endure long periods without water
because:

o They have an extreme tolerance to water loss (up

to 30-40% of their body weight)

o They can minimize water losses (i.e. condensing

water in the nostrils)

They take warm air into their nostrils which are very long and the water vapor will condense in
colder places in their nostril
 6
What’s the real deal?
• Camels can endure long periods without water
because:
Their fecal samples are extremely dry

o They have an extreme tolerance to water loss (up

to 30-40% of their body weight)

o They can minimize water losses (i.e. condensing

water in the nostrils)

 7
Energy for migration- geese
 8
Migrating geese have distinct & challenging routes
 9
How do geese prepare for flight?
• In the spring & summer, eat leaves, grass, flowers, stems, roots, seeds etc.
• They can often eat for up to 12 hours a day, and feed even more intensively right
before they fly (before & after winter)

Are all birds

equally as good
at metabolizing
fats as fuels for
flight?

Keep in mind: during migration, birds can lose up to half of their entire body weight!
 10
Extreme energy-requiring migration
No- Some are
much better than
others at
metabolizing fats
as fuels for flight!
 11
Extreme energy-requiring challenges
They are very
adaptive
- hypoxic
environments
such as high air
- extremely cold
conditions

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yd_w3biT3TU
 12
How high are we talking?

How are
bar-headed geese
able to do this?
• Especially in
these high-
altitude, low
oxygen
environments?

Can scale over the mountains in a single non-stop flight @ ~65km/hour

 13
McMaster biology research in the spotlight!

Dr. Grant McClelland Dr. Graham Scott

Metabolic and respiratory processes in challenging environments
 14
Carbohydrates AND fats are used during exercise

• Exercise is energetically costly

• Animals are able to maintain locomotion even in high altitude or hypoxic environments
• There is an interaction between carbohydrate and especially lipid use
 15
An insight for Dr. McClelland
High-altitude and prolonged flight can induce lipolysis

-- undergo
beta oxidation
and create
acetyl-CoA
Transporters
and proteins - acetyl-CoA can
help them enter the Krebs
enter Cycle to create
circulatory more electron
system carriers

muscle cell
Fat cells
 16
An insight from Dr. Scott

- Geese can capture oxygen better than other organisms: better lungs, circulatory systems, muscles

• High altitude environments require greater mechanical power to sustain lift due to
“thinner” air
• Consequences for aerobic organisms: oxygen availability can be limited
 17
High-flyers have incredible adaptations!
• Larger lungs higher SA and more capillaries and alveoli for better gas exchange
• Better breathing
patterns
• RBCs that have
higher affinity to hemoglobin oxygen
oxygen capture rate is higher
than ours. Their

• Higher distribution topickchange

hemoglobin's ability
shape to
up O2 is better
of capillaries at than ours

lungs and muscles

• Greater number of
mitochondria at
muscles
- Better vascularity due to
an increased amount of
capillaries in muscles

O2 transport in birds supports greater capacity for vigorous activity in hypoxic environments
 18
Energy for migration- insects
 19
Energy for migration- insects

These migrating swarms of locusts are able to fly over very long periods of time, without needed to stop to
feed along the way until their final destination- that is the next food crop. How is this possible?
 20
Lipid metabolism during flight- an experiment
We can measure fat
mobilization
experimentally!
 21
Lipid metabolism during flight- an experiment
 22
Lipid metabolism during flight- an experiment
 23
Lipid metabolism during flight- an experiment

Take blood samples as time goes by and measure changes in blood glucose and lipid levels
- Increased levels of blood glucose and lipid levels in bloodstream because they need to be mobilized to be consumed as energy to fuel more flight
 24
Locusts mobilize lipid stores during prolonged flight

Haemolymph, mg lipid/g
Sugars are mobilized into blood
Haemolymph, mg glucose/g

during first 15 min of flight

Lipids are constantly mobilized

increases because into the blood stream throughout
the duration of flight!
of mobilization but
then decreased
because it is all
consumed

Haemolymph= insect blood

 25
Alternative sources of fuel are indeed useful!

1 Mol of fat will generate a much greater amount of ATP

compared to 1 Mol of carbohydrates!
 26
For next week…

Theme 1-Module 3 & 4 Review

&
Applied lecture