Editing Turtle (section)

=== Circulation ===

[[File:Snapping turtle in Mud.JPG|thumb|[[Chelydra serpentina|Snapping turtle]] emerging from period of [[brumation]], in which it buried itself in mud. Turtles have multiple circulatory and physiological adaptations to enable them to go long periods without breathing.<ref name="Wyneken 2008 Circulatory"/>|alt=photo of a turtle climbing out of mud|left]]

Turtles share the linked [[Circulatory system|circulatory]] and pulmonary (lung) systems of vertebrates, where the three-chambered heart pumps deoxygenated blood through the lungs and then pumps the returned [[oxygenated blood]] through the body's tissues. The cardiopulmonary system has both structural and physiological adaptations that distinguish it from other vertebrates. Turtles have a large lung volume and can move blood through non-pulmonary blood vessels, including some within the heart, to avoid the lungs while they are not breathing. They can hold their breath for much longer periods than other reptiles and they can tolerate the resulting low oxygen levels. They can moderate the increase in acidity during [[anaerobic respiration|anaerobic (non-oxygen-based) respiration]] by [[buffer solution|chemical buffering]] and they can lie dormant for months, in [[aestivation]] or [[brumation]].<ref name="Wyneken 2008 Circulatory"/>

The heart has two [[Atrium (heart)|atria]] but only one [[Ventricle (heart)|ventricle]]. The ventricle is subdivided into three chambers. A muscular ridge enables a complex pattern of blood flow so that the blood can be directed either to the lungs via the [[pulmonary artery]], or to the body via the [[aorta]]. The ability to separate the two outflows varies between species. The leatherback has a powerful muscular ridge enabling almost complete separation of the outflows, supporting its actively swimming lifestyle. The ridge is less well developed in freshwater turtles like the sliders (''[[Trachemys]]'').<ref name="Wyneken 2008 Circulatory">{{cite book |last=Wyneken |first=Jeanette |chapter=The Structure of Cardiopulmonary Systems of Turtles: Implications for Behavior and Function |editor-last=Wyneken |editor-first=Jeanette |editor-last2=Bels |editor-first2=V. L. |editor-last3=Godfrey |editor-first3=Matthew H. |title=Biology of Turtles |year=2008 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-3339-2|oclc=144570900 |pages=213–224}}</ref>

Turtles are capable of enduring periods of anaerobic respiration longer than many other vertebrates. This process breaks down sugars incompletely to [[lactic acid]], rather than all the way to [[carbon dioxide]] and water as in [[aerobic respiration|aerobic (oxygen-based) respiration]].<ref name="Wyneken 2008 Circulatory"/> They make use of the shell as a source of additional buffering agents for combating increased acidity, and as a sink for lactic acid.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=2002 |last=Jackson |first=Donald C. |title=Hibernating Without Oxygen: Physiological Adaptations of the Painted turtle |journal=Journal of Physiology |volume=543 |issue=Pt 3 |pages=731–737 |doi=10.1113/jphysiol.2002.024729 |pmid=12231634 |pmc=2290531}}</ref>