Respiration; buccal and opercular pumps
Respiration; buccal and opercular pumps
Respiration; buccal and opercular pumps
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1. RESPIRATION: THE CAPTURE OF<br />
O2 AND ELIMINATION OF CO2<br />
As you know, oxygen is more readily available to terrestrial vertebrates<br />
than it is to fishes. Air contains much more oxygen that can dissolve in<br />
an equivalent volume of water:<br />
1 liter of air contains 210 cc of oxygen, whereas<br />
1 liter of water contains only 10 cc of oxygen<br />
Fishes obtain oxygen by maintaining a continuous flow of water, a<br />
medium that is 800 times as dense as air, over the gills. The more<br />
continuous <strong>and</strong> the more steady the flow, the more thoroughly will the<br />
gills be able to remove the oxygen that is dissolved in the water.