Comparative studies of the physiology and cardiovascular anatomy of white and red-blooded Antarctic fish

Comparative studies of the physiology and cardiovascular anatomy of white and red-blooded Antarctic fish

John Fleng Steffensen, Lic. Scient., Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen

Comparative studies of the physiology and cardiovascular systems of white and red-blooded Antarctic fish. In the Antarctic area there are fish that lack blood cells and the respiratory pigment. We wish to perform research on the extent to which the cardiovascular system in white-blooded fish show physiological and anatomical deviations or compensations for the lack of red blood cells and respiratory pigment relative to closely related species that have preserved both of these. This question will be approached through a number of tests, including 1) producing castings of the cardiovascular system with a view to performing light and electronic microscope examinations, 2) measuring of the partial pressure of oxygen in various types of tissue, 3) measurement of the blood volume and the pumping activity of the heart (the white-blooded fish have a relatively large heart), 4) measurement of total oxygen consumption, and 5) collection of tissue samples for histological research.