Summary
ThepO2 in the hemolymph of the decapod crustaceanAstacus leptodactylus was measured continuously with micro O2 electrodes. PostbranchialpO2, heart rate and ventilation rate were simultaneously recorded. PrebranchialpO2 was measured in a separate series of experiments. Crayfish acclimated for six weeks to warm (20 °C) and cold (10 °C) conditions were studied.
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1.
Postbranchial bloodpO2 was measured in the pericardium. Typical values for warm-acclimated animals fell in the range 23–35 Torr, with a mean of 28.3 Torr, and those for cold-acclimated animals were 17–30 Torr, with a mean of 24.4 Torr. PrebranchialpO2 was measured in the meropodites of the 8th thoracopod. VenouspO2 levels ranged from 7–13 Torr, mean 9.4 Torr (warm-acclimated), and 6–9 Torr, mean 6.8 Torr (cold-acclimated).
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2.
pO2 values of resting, restrained animals were variable and fluctuations occurred in both the pre- and the postbranchial levels. Fluctuations were either small (1–5 Torr) or large (10–70 Torr).
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3.
PostbranchialpO2 correlated with fluctuations in the ventilation and heart rates. ArterialpO2 rose when the ventilation rate was increased, with a delay of about 10 s in warm-acclimated and 20 s in cold-acclimated animals, respectively. Along with increasingp aO2 an increase of the heart rate was established.
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4.
In resting animals, there is no a-v pH-difference. Cell-free hemolymph, taken from the pericardium or the meropodites, had a pH of 7.48 or 7.47, respectively, in warm-acclimated animals and 7.94 or 7.97 in cold-acclimated animals. Under these conditions the hemocyanin was 99% saturated in the artial blood and 45% in venous (warm-acclimated). Corresponding values in cold-acclimated crayfish were 98% and 61%, respectively.
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5.
TheP 50 of the hemocyanin in undiluted hemolymph was 10 Torr at 20 °C and pH 7.42, and 6.2 Torr at 10 °C and pH 7.92. The hemocyanin showed a weak Bohr effect (ΔlogP 50/ΔpH=−0.19 in warm-acclimated, and −0.20 in cold-acclimated animals). The pH range of the Bohr effect fell into the in vivo pH range in each group and thus differed by 0.5 pH units between the two groups.
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Abbreviations
- p aO2 :
-
oxygen tension of postbranchial (arterial) blood
- p vO2 :
-
oxygen tension of prebranchial (venous) blood
- SaO2 :
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%O2 saturation of postbranchial blood
- SvO2 :
-
%O2 saturation of prebranchial blood
- P 50 :
-
pO2 at half saturation of hemocyanin
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Angersbach, D., Decker, H. Oxygen transport in Crayfish blood: Effect of thermal acclimation, and short-term fluctuations related to ventilation and cardiac performance. J Comp Physiol B 123, 105–112 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687838
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687838