Nature & Environment
Animals at the extremes: polar biology
...carbon dioxide by the gut bacteria. The carbon dioxide is excreted with the respiratory gases, but the fate of the highly soluble, and in high concentrations toxic, ammonium ions (NH4 +) is more interesting. In dormant bears, the blood concentrations of amino acids, total protein, urea and uric acid during dormancy are similar to those of active bears that are feeding...