Abstract
The extremely stable Antarctic environment may be expected to have produced a number of cardiovascular adaptations to offset increased blood viscosity and/or decreased oxygen diffusion rates in the cold [1,2]. The ichthyofauna is dominated by Notothenioids which have a modest haematocrit and a reduced blood haemoglobin concentration [3], a situation taken to the extreme in the icefish (channichthyids) that possess only a few vestigial erythrocytes and no respiratory pigment. Low blood pressure and large venous return reported for icefish [4] would best be accommodated by a relatively low afterload on the heart [5]. Evidence for the origin of the assumed low peripheral resistance in icefish was sought in the morphology of the blood vascular system; preliminary results from this study were reported as abstracts [6,7].
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© 1998 Springer-Verlag Italia
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Egginton, S., Rankin, J.C. (1998). Vascular Adaptations for a Low Pressure / High Flow Blood Supply to Locomotory Muscles of Antarctic Icefish. In: Fishes of Antarctica. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2157-0_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2157-0_16
Publisher Name: Springer, Milano
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