Energy Sources in the Bat

¹ From the Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

Early in the period of hibernation, the blood glucose of the bat was found to increase logarithmically with body temperature during dehibernation. Late in the period of hibernation, the blood glucose level increased with temperature but at a slower rate. Glycogen was shown to be a poor source of the energy required during dehibernation. The glycogen and lipid stores utilized by the bat during its hibernating period are sufficient to maintain the animal for 12 hours and 11 weeks, respectively, indicating the catabolism of other energy reserves. The utilization of protein in the hibernating bat is suggested by studies on blood urea nitrogen concentrations. Respiratory quotients of dehibernated animals indicate that materials other than lipids are catabolized after awakening, and the small stores of glycogen suggest protein as a component of the metabolic mixture.