Air breathing minimizes post-exercise lactate load in the tropical Pacific tarpon, Megalops cyprinoides Broussonet 1782 but oxygen debt is repaid by aquatic breathing

R Wells, John Baldwin, Roger Seymour, Keith Christian, A Farrell

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Swimming in a flume at reduced water pO2 resulted in muscle and blood lactate levels in Pacific tarpon Megalops cyprinoides that were significantly higher when fish did not have access to air. Blood glucose and haematological variables were unchanged throughout the regimes of exercise at two swimming speeds and hypoxia. Strenuous exercise with bouts of burst swimming, however, resulted in both high blood lactate and glucose, and perturbed haematological status with elevated haemoglobin and reduced mean cell-haemoglobin concentration. Post-exercise recovery was achieved through aquatic breathing rather than by air breathing. The air-breathing organ in Pacific tarpon therefore prolonged aerobic activity, but gill breathing was used to repay oxygen debt. � 2007 The Authors.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1649-1661
    Number of pages13
    JournalJournal of Fish Biology
    Volume71
    Issue number6
    Publication statusPublished - 2007

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