New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

---

Blood oxygenation in shortfin eels during swimming and hypoxia: influence of the Root effect

M. E. FORSTER

Department of Zoology University of Canterbury Private Bag, Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract Blood samples were withdrawn from dorsal aortic cannulae in shortfin eels before, during, and after acute exposure to hypoxia and to forced swimming. Both hypoxia (PIO, < 40 mm Hg) and forced swimming at 24 cm s^H abolished apnoeic periods and increased ventilation. The fall in PaCO, with hyperventilation, raised pH and thus increased the oxygen carrying capacity of arterial blood. The Root effect influences shortfin eel blood up to pH 8.0, at 17°C and has an effect on arterial oxygen content. It cannot be responsible for all of the increased oxygen content during swimming and in recovery from swimming and hypoxia; ventilatory and/or circulatory changes must account for the rest. Hypoxia, but not swimming, produced a rise in dorsal aortic blood pressure. The bradycardia of hypoxia was deeper than that which accompanies apnoeic periods in air-saturated water.

Keywords Anguilla; eel; hypoxia; swimming; blood oxygen content; Root effect

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1985, Vol. 19: 247-251 Received 25 September 1984; accepted 29 October 1985

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (381K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

---

This year's abstracts | Journal home page | All abstracts | Publishing home page