The Mechanism of Gill Ventilation in the Dogfish and Skate

1960 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. HUGHES

1. The respiratory movements of the dogfish, Scyliorhinus (Scyllium) canicula (L.), and the ‘skate’, Raia clavata L. (thornback ray), have been studied by the use of cinematographic and mechanotransducer recording methods. Simultaneous determinations of the time-course of pressure changes in the oro-branchial and parabranchial cavities were also made by means of Hansen condenser manometers. 2. In both species movements of the mouth precede those of the spiracular valve and of the branchial region. Adduction and abduction of the branchial region spreads serially from the first to last gill slit in the dogfish, but movements of the individual gill arches are more nearly synchronous in the skate. Opening of the flap valves formed by extensions of the inter-branchial septa are synchronous in both species. 3. Water entering one side of the mouth leaves by the three posterior gill slits of the same side. Water entering the spiracle leaves through the anterior slits of the same side. This separation of flow is less marked in the skate. 4. The pressure curves recorded in all parts of the system have both positive and negative phases with respect to the external medium. The positive phase, associated with closing of the mouth and spiracle, is larger in the oro-branchial than in the parabranchial cavities and vice versa. The time-course of the pressure changes indicates that the flow across the gills is maintained by the action of a pressure pump in front and a suction pump behind. 5. The suction pump plays a more important role than the pressure pump in the skate and its contribution to the flow across the gills is by no means negligible in the dogfish. 6. The differential pressure curves suggest that the flow across the gills is continuous except in the dogfish for a brief period when the gradient is reversed. The absence of this reversal in the skate suggests that the external gill slit openings are controlled by an active mechanism. This is probably an adaptation to bottom-living habit. 7. All these observations relate to animals which are stationary with respect to the water. During swimming at a reasonable speed leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) have been observed to make few or no respiratory movements, although they immediately ventilate actively on coming to rest at the bottom of the aquarium.

1958 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 807-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. HUGHES

1. A study has been made of the respiratory movements of three species of freshwater fish. The time course of pressure changes in the buccal and opercular cavities was recorded and movements of the mouth and operculum plotted from ciné films taken simultaneously. 2. Opening and closing of the mouth precede respectively abduction and adduction of the operculum by about one-fifth of a cycle. 3. The most prominent part of the buccal pressure curve is a positive pressure associated with mouth closing. The size of a negative pressure as the mouth opens is small in the trout but may be relatively large in the tench. 4. Abduction of the operculum produces a marked negative pressure in the opercular cavity of all three species and there is a slight positive pressure during its adduction. 5. The respiratory system is divided into a buccal and two opercular cavities and the concept of gill resistances separating them is introduced. 6. The respiratory cycle is made up of four phases which succeed one another. These are: phase (1) opercular suction pump predominant; phase (2) transition with a reduction in differential pressure between the buccal and opercular cavities; phase (3) buccal pressure pump predominant; and phase (4) transition with reversal of differential pressure. 7. With the exception of phase (4), which occupies only about one-tenth of a cycle, the pressure in the buccal cavity exceeds that in the opercular cavity throughout the cycle. It is therefore concluded that water will flow across the gills for almost the entire cycle but may reverse for this brief period. The quantitative relationship between the pressures and the volume of water flowing across the gills during different parts of the cycle will depend upon the properties of the gill resistances.


1960 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. HUGHES

1. Movements of the lower jaw and operculum have been recorded simultaneously with the associated pressure changes in the buccal and opercular cavities during breathing of the following species: Trachurus trachurus (L.), Clupea harengus L., Gadus merlangus L., Onos mustela (L.), Crenilabrus melops (L.), Cottus bubalis Euphrasén, Blennius ocellaris L., Trigla gurnardus L., Callionymus lyra L., Pleuronectes platessa L., Microstoinus kitt (Walbaum), Conger conger (L.), Syngnathus acus L. 2. In all species ventilation of the gills is achieved by the action of a buccal pressure pump and of opercular suction pumps. 3. The time course of the pressure changes indicates differences in the relative importance of the two pumps which are related to the habitat of the fish. The suction pump becomes of greatest importance in fishes which spend most of their lives on the sea bottom. 4. In several species the differential pressure curve does not include the brief period of reversal in pressure gradient found in most fishes so far investigated. Notable among these species are the two flatfishes investigated and in which there is some evidence for an active opercular valve. 5. In general, the results confirm the validity of Baglioni's classification of the respiratory mechanisms of teleost fishes.


2001 ◽  
Vol 40 (01) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Wellner ◽  
E. Voth ◽  
H. Schicha ◽  
K. Weber

Summary Aim: The influence of physiological and pharmacological amounts of iodine on the uptake of radioiodine in the thyroid was examined in a 4-compartment model. This model allows equations to be derived describing the distribution of tracer iodine as a function of time. The aim of the study was to compare the predictions of the model with experimental data. Methods: Five euthyroid persons received stable iodine (200 μg, 10 mg). 1-123-uptake into the thyroid was measured with the Nal (Tl)-detector of a body counter under physiological conditions and after application of each dose of additional iodine. Actual measurements and predicted values were compared, taking into account the individual iodine supply as estimated from the thyroid uptake under physiological conditions and data from the literature. Results: Thyroid iodine uptake decreased from 80% under physiological conditions to 50% in individuals with very low iodine supply (15 μg/d) (n = 2). The uptake calculated from the model was 36%. Iodine uptake into the thyroid did not decrease in individuals with typical iodine supply, i.e. for Cologne 65-85 μg/d (n = 3). After application of 10 mg of stable iodine, uptake into the thyroid decreased in all individuals to about 5%, in accordance with the model calculations. Conclusion: Comparison of theoretical predictions with the measured values demonstrated that the model tested is well suited for describing the time course of iodine distribution and uptake within the body. It can now be used to study aspects of iodine metabolism relevant to the pharmacological administration of iodine which cannot be investigated experimentally in humans for ethical and technical reasons.


Author(s):  
P.L. Luque ◽  
G.J. Pierce ◽  
J.A. Learmonth ◽  
M.B. Santos ◽  
E. Ieno ◽  
...  

We examined the tooth ultra-structure of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from Scottish waters to determine whether the incidence of mineralization anomalies could be related to certain life history events (e.g. the achievement of sexual maturation) as well as other factors that affect the general health of the individual (e.g. persistent organic pollutant (POP) concentrations in blubber). Five distinct types of mineralization anomalies were recorded: accessory lines, marker lines, dentinal resorption, cemental disturbance and pulp stones and the occurrence of these anomalies was scored by sex, age and maturity state. Overall, the incidence of mineralization anomalies was high and tended to increase with age. Marker lines and accessory lines were the most commonly recorded anomalies while pulp stones were least frequent. Duplicate teeth (i.e. from the same individual) always showed the same pattern of anomaly occurrence.Fitted binary generalized linear and additive models indicated that the presence of dentinal resorption, cemental disturbance and marker lines in harbour porpoise teeth increased with age, body length and maturity. Males displayed marker lines more frequently than females. Age was the best predictor of the incidence of dentinal resorption and cemental disturbance while age and sex were the best predictors of the incidence of marker lines. The time course of appearance of dentinal resorption and cemental disturbance suggests that their occurrence could be related to physiological stress linked to sexual maturation. Marker lines were found within growth layer groups which coincided with the beginning of weaning and sexual maturation, suggesting an association with these two major life history events. Accessory lines were found in most teeth and may be a normal characteristic of porpoise teeth or reflect regular events. Pulp stones appeared only in mature animals. We found no evidence that the presence of anomalies in teeth was significantly related to POP concentrations in the blubber.


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuma Morishita ◽  
Shoko Tamura ◽  
Kentaro Mochizuki ◽  
Yoshinori Harada ◽  
Hideo Tanaka

Ca 2+ overload is a cardinal feature of cardiomyocyte injury, and its progression to irreversible state leads to cell death. However, unknowns are the precise spatiotemporal changes in the myocyte Ca 2+ dynamics and the relevant cell morphology of irreversibly injured hearts. On the hypothesis that myocytes exhibit high-frequency Ca 2+ waves and contraction band necrosis in saponin-permeabilized injured heart, we observed changes in the Ca 2+ dynamics and the relevant morphological changes in the subepicardial myocardium of the Fluo4-loaded rat hearts (n = 14) by rapid-scanning confocal microscopy (100 frames/s) under Langendorff perfusion with 0.3 mM Ca 2+ -Tyrode solution including 0.4 % saponin at 30°C. Also performed was confocal imaging of tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM) fluorescence of the myocardium. Under quasi-quiescence of the heart after dissection of the SA node, individual myocytes barely exhibited spontaneous Ca 2+ waves, whereas after commencement of saponin perfusion high-frequency (118 ± 9.7 /min/cell, mean ± SEM) Ca 2+ waves (hereafter, “agonal waves”) emerged within 1 min, showing asynchronous, oscillatory contractions in the individual myocytes with a V prop of 124 ± 2.5 μm/s (n = 60). Subsequently, the waves gradually decreased in frequency with concomitant slowing of its decay time course, and eventually, disappeared in 6 min; myocytes exhibited high, static Fluo4-fluorescence intensity. Along with the progression of Ca 2+ overload by saponin, the TMRM fluorescence intensity was discretely lost in individual myocytes. The myocytes showing the agonal waves exhibited contraction bands, i.e., band-like aggregations of the actin fibers. Under mechanical arrest of the heart by 2,3-butanedione monoxime (20 mM), saponin still induced the agonal waves with a frequency of 253 ± 10.6 /cell/min and V prop of 118 ± 2.1 μm/s (n = 60); however, contraction bands were barely seen.In conclusion, irreversible myocyte injury by saponin provoked agonal Ca 2+ waves and oscillatory contractions indicating progressive Ca 2+ overload and the following mitochondrial damage, which may provide deeper insights into understanding the mechanism of contraction band necrosis.


1991 ◽  
Vol 46 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 189-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenji Monde ◽  
Mitsuo Takasugi ◽  
Jenny A. Lewis ◽  
G. Roger Fenwick

Sliced turnip root (Brassica campestris L. ssp rapa) was irradiated for a total of 20 min with a 15 W germicidal lamp and the tissue incubated at 25 °C. The effects of such treatment on indole phytoalexins (methoxybrassinin (I); brassinin (II); cyclobrassinin (III); spirobrassinin (IV) and glucosinolates were determined using high performance liquid chromatography procedures. Accumulation of phytoalexins I - III was evident within 8 h of irradiation, whilst formation of spirobrassinin was evident only after 24 h. Maximal levels of III and IV (> 100 μg g-1 freeze dried tissue) were greater than those of I and II (27 and 17 μg g-1, respectively). The individual glucosinolate levels were affected in a complex manner; whilst most glucoinolates decreased on storage, the levels of indole glucosinolates, glucobrassicin (XI) and 1-methoxyglucobrassicin (XIII), increased until 5 to 6 days after irradiation and thereafter declined. Whilst structural features of I - IV , XI and XIII suggest close biosynthetic relationships between these classes of biologically-active indoles, further studies are needed to establish this point unambiguously.


2009 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
pp. 2263-2269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aymar de Rugy ◽  
Mark R. Hinder ◽  
Daniel G. Woolley ◽  
Richard G. Carson

Reaching to visual targets engages the nervous system in a series of transformations between sensory information and motor commands. That which remains to be determined is the extent to which the processes that mediate sensorimotor adaptation to novel environments engage neural circuits that represent the required movement in joint-based or muscle-based coordinate systems. We sought to establish the contribution of these alternative representations to the process of visuomotor adaptation. To do so we applied a visuomotor rotation during a center-out isometric torque production task that involved flexion/extension and supination/pronation at the elbow-joint complex. In separate sessions, distinct half-quadrant rotations (i.e., 45°) were applied such that adaptation could be achieved either by only rescaling the individual joint torques (i.e., the visual target and torque target remained in the same quadrant) or by additionally requiring torque reversal at a contributing joint (i.e., the visual target and torque target were in different quadrants). Analysis of the time course of directional errors revealed that the degree of adaptation was lower (by ∼20%) when reversals in the direction of joint torques were required. It has been established previously that in this task space, a transition between supination and pronation requires the engagement of a different set of muscle synergists, whereas in a transition between flexion and extension no such change is required. The additional observation that the initial level of adaptation was lower and the subsequent aftereffects were smaller, for trials that involved a pronation–supination transition than for those that involved a flexion–extension transition, supports the conclusion that the process of adaptation engaged, at least in part, neural circuits that represent the required motor output in a muscle-based coordinate system.


2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Malpica-Cruz ◽  
Sharon Z. Herzka ◽  
Oscar Sosa-Nishizaki ◽  
Juan Pablo Lazo

There are very few studies reporting isotopic trophic discrimination factors and turnover rates for marine elasmobranchs. A controlled laboratory experiment was conducted to estimate carbon and nitrogen isotope trophic discrimination factors and isotope turnover rates for blood, liver, muscle, cartilage tissue, and fin samples of neonate to young-of-the-year leopard sharks ( Triakis semifasciata ). Trophic discrimination factors varied (0.13‰–1.98‰ for δ13C and 1.08‰–1.76‰ for δ15N). Tissues reached or were close to isotopic equilibrium to the new diet after about a threefold biomass gain and 192 days. Liver and blood exhibited faster isotope turnover than muscle, cartilage tissue, and fin samples, and carbon isotopes turned over faster than those of nitrogen. Metabolic turnover contributed substantially to isotopic turnover, which differs from most reports for young marine teleosts. We modeled the relationship between muscle turnover rates and shark size by coupling laboratory results with growth rate estimates for natural populations. Model predictions for small, medium, and large wild leopard sharks indicate the time to isotopic equilibrium is from one to several years.


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