The Relative Importance of the Gills and Lungs in the Gas Exchange of Amphibious Crabs of the Genus Holthuisana

1984 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Greenaway

Gill area increased with increasing body size in Holthuisana transversa (area in square millimetres equals 1946 times mass, in grams, to the power of 0.563). The increase in area was largely due to increase in the area of individual lamellae, at least over the size range studied (10-35 g). The area of the lungs was only 10% ofthe area ofthe gills but potentially these were at least as effective in gas exchange, due to their much shorter blood-gas diffusion distance. The volume of the lungs increased with body weight (volume in millilitres equals 0.043 times mass, in grams, to the power of 1.218), whilst tidal volume increased at a lower rate (tidal volume in millilitres equals 0.082 times mass to the power of 0.831) in the crabs examined (3-36 g).

Author(s):  
Kjell Johansen ◽  
Ole Brix ◽  
Sonja Kornerup ◽  
Gunnar Lykkeboe

INTRODUCTIONCephalopods are among the most active and agile animals in the oceans. They are all predators and many pelagic species are capable of high swimming speeds.The morphology of the gills (ctenidia) and heart and vascular systems in cephalopods are suggestive of a high efficiency in respiratory gas exchange and internal blood gas transport.The present study reports on resting (standard) values of O2-uptake in relation to body size and ambient water O2-tension in the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis.


1959 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 356-362
Author(s):  
A. B. GILBERT

1. The influence of sex and body weight on the concentration of sulphate and chloride ions in the blood of the common shore crab was investigated. 2. Blood chloride increased in both sexes until a maximum was reached at a weight of about 35 g.; thereafter it fell with increasing body weight. 3. Over the whole size range blood chloride was higher in females than in males. This difference was highly significant for animals over 35 g. body weight; below 35 g. however, there was no significant difference between the sexes. 4. Over a restricted size range blood sulphate of males was significantly higher than that of females. 5. Results of the present work have been discussed in relation to those reported earlier for conductivity and total O.P.


1972 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Herschel

Since very little can be determined about the relative importance of brain size in mammals from a simple body-weight/brain-weight ratio, a scaled ratio is proposed that takes into account the mathematical peculiarities of the cube/square relationship between body size and brain size in mammals of widely varying body masses. The values obtained from this scaled ratio appear to arrange these animals in an order more consistent with their observed intellectual capacities.


1951 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 492-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. ELLENBY

1. Male Ligia oceanica were used in an investigation of the relationship of body size to rate of oxygen consumption and pleopod beat. 2. Animals varied in weight from 0.04 to 1.03 g. and from 0.95 to 3.1 cm. in length. 3. Body shape does not change significantly over the size range, for length and breadth both increase at the same rate, and pleopod dimensions bear a constant relation to body length. 4. Specific gravity also is constant, for the relation of body weight to the cube of body length shows no trend with increasing size. 5. Oxygen consumption per gram decreases with increasing size and is proportional to the -0.274 Power of body weight. Total oxygen consumption is therefore proportional to the 0.726 power of body weight; but this value does not differ significantly from two-thirds. 6. As shape is constant, surface area is proportional to the square of a linear dimension. It is shown that oxygen consumption per unit of length2 is constant over the size range. Although body length was measured far less accurately than body weight it is shown that it assesses ‘body size’ more accurately. 7. Rate of pleopod beat was measured at 15 and 25°C.; it decreases with the size of the animal. At 15°C. time per beat varies as the 0.66 power of body length, and at 25°C. as the 0.59 power; neither of these values differs significantly from 0.5. Despite the fact that pleopod movement is heavily damped, the rate therefore varies like that of a pendulum. 9. The workof Fox (1936-9) and Fox et al. (1937a)on the rate of oxygen consumption of animals from cold and warmer seas and from different habitats is considered. It is suggested that many of their comparisons are invalidated by differences in body size of the animals concerned, and that, in relation to environment, no basis, theoretical or experimental, has been established for a distinction between ‘nonlocomotory’ and ‘activity’ metabolism.


Apidologie ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina Retschnig ◽  
Johannes Rich ◽  
Karl Crailsheim ◽  
Judith Pfister ◽  
Vincent Perreten ◽  
...  

AbstractIn eusocial honey bees, Apis mellifera, diet, gut microbiota and nestmates can all contribute to the health of freshly emerged individual workers, but their relative importance for longevity and body weight is currently unknown. Here, we show that diet is most relevant, followed by gut microbiota and the presence of nestmates. Freshly emerged workers were randomly assigned to eight treatments (with or without honey/pollen, protein-substitute lactalbumin, antibiotic tetracycline and nestmates for 24 h) and maintained under standardised laboratory conditions. Longevity and food consumption were measured daily and fresh body weight was assessed at day 7. The data show a significantly better survival and a higher body weight in workers supplied with honey/pollen. Survival was higher in the lactalbumin treatments compared to the ones restricted to sucrose only, but lower compared to those with honey/pollen, highlighting the importance of micronutrients. In contrast, antibiotic treatment had a significant negative effect on longevity and body weight, which may be explained by inactivated gut microbiota and/or toxicity of the antibiotics. There was no positive effect of nestmates, probably due to the short exposure period. In contrast, nestmates showed a negative effect on survival in antibiotic-treated workers, possibly by transmitting pathogens and antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis. In conclusion, a macro- and micronutrient-rich diet appears to be the key to individual honey bee worker health. Providing an optimal diet and possibly gut microbiota appears to be a promising way to promote managed A. mellifera health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Gaston ◽  
Santhosh M. Baby ◽  
Walter J. May ◽  
Alex P. Young ◽  
Alan Grossfield ◽  
...  

AbstractWe have identified thiolesters that reverse the negative effects of opioids on breathing without compromising antinociception. Here we report the effects of d-cystine diethyl ester (d-cystine diEE) or d-cystine dimethyl ester (d-cystine diME) on morphine-induced changes in ventilation, arterial-blood gas chemistry, A-a gradient (index of gas-exchange in the lungs) and antinociception in freely moving rats. Injection of morphine (10 mg/kg, IV) elicited negative effects on breathing (e.g., depression of tidal volume, minute ventilation, peak inspiratory flow, and inspiratory drive). Subsequent injection of d-cystine diEE (500 μmol/kg, IV) elicited an immediate and sustained reversal of these effects of morphine. Injection of morphine (10 mg/kg, IV) also elicited pronounced decreases in arterial blood pH, pO2 and sO2 accompanied by pronounced increases in pCO2 (all indicative of a decrease in ventilatory drive) and A-a gradient (mismatch in ventilation-perfusion in the lungs). These effects of morphine were reversed in an immediate and sustained fashion by d-cystine diME (500 μmol/kg, IV). Finally, the duration of morphine (5 and 10 mg/kg, IV) antinociception was augmented by d-cystine diEE. d-cystine diEE and d-cystine diME may be clinically useful agents that can effectively reverse the negative effects of morphine on breathing and gas-exchange in the lungs while promoting antinociception. Our study suggests that the d-cystine thiolesters are able to differentially modulate the intracellular signaling cascades that mediate morphine-induced ventilatory depression as opposed to those that mediate morphine-induced antinociception and sedation.


1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 651-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. HUGHES ◽  
R. GAYMER ◽  
MARGARET MOORE ◽  
A. J. WOAKES

1. The O2 consumption and CO2 release of nine giant tortoises Testudo gigantea (weight range 118 g-35·5 kg) were measured at a temperature of about 25·5°C. Four European tortoises Testudo hermanni (weight range 640 g-2·16 kg) were also used. The mean RQ values obtained were 1·01 for T. gigantea and 0·97 for T. hermanni. These values were not influenced by activity or size. 2. The data was analysed by plotting log/log regression lines relating body weight to O2 consumption. Both maximum and minimum metabolic rates recorded for each individual T. gigantea showed a negative correlation with body weight. For active rates the relation was O2 consumption = 140·8W0·97, whereas for inactive animals O2 consumption = 45·47W0·82. 3. The maximum rates were obtained from animals that were observed to be active in the respirometer and the minimum rates from animals that remained quiet throughout. The scope for activity increased with body size, being 82 ml/kg/h for animals of 100 g and 103 ml/kg/h for 100 kg animals. The corresponding ratio between maximum and minimum rates increases from about 2 to 6 for the same weight range. 4. Values for metabolic rate in T. hermanni seem to be rather lower than in T. gigantea. Analysis of the relative proportion of the shell and other organs indicates that the shell forms about 31% of the body weight in adult T. hermanni but only about 18% in T. gigantea of similar size. The shell is not appreciably heavier in adult T. gigantea (about 20%). 5. Data obtained for inactive animals is in good agreement with results of other workers using lizards and snakes. Previous evidence suggesting that chelonians show no reduction in metabolic rate with increasing size is not considered to conflict with data obtained in the present work.


2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1880) ◽  
pp. 20180744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Pei ◽  
Mihai Valcu ◽  
Bart Kempenaers

Being active at different times facilitates the coexistence of functionally similar species. Hence, time partitioning might be induced by competition. However, the relative importance of direct interference and indirect exploitation competition on time partitioning remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of these two forms of competition on the occurrence of time-shifting among avian predator species. As a measure of interference competition pressure, we used the species richness of day-active avian predator species or of night-active avian predator species (i.e. species of Accipitriformes, Falconiformes and Strigiformes) in a particular geographical area (assemblage). As an estimate of exploitation competition pressure, we used the total species richness of avian predators in each assemblage. Estimates of the intensity of interference competition robustly predicted the number of Accipitriformes species that became crepuscular and the number of Strigiformes species that became day-active or strictly crepuscular. Interference competition pressure may depend on body size and on the total duration of the typical active period (day or night length). Our results support—to some extent—that smaller species are more likely to become time-shifters. Day length did not have an effect on the number of time-shifter species in the Accipitriformes. Among the large Strigiformes, more time-shifter species occur in areas where nights are shorter (i.e. where less of the typical time resource is available). However, in the small Strigiformes, we found the opposite, counterintuitive effect: more time-shifters where nights are longer. Exploitation competition may have had an additional positive effect on the number of time-shifters, but only in Accipitriformes, and the effect was not as robust. Our results thus support the interference competition hypothesis, suggesting that animals may have shifted their time of activity, despite phylogenetic constraints on the ability to do so, to reduce the costs of direct interactions. Our findings also highlight the influence of body size as a surrogate of competitive ability during encounters on time partitioning, at least among avian predators.


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