The morphology of the respiratory organs of the African air‐breathing catfish (<i>Clarias mossambicus</i>): A light, electron and scanning microscopic study, with morphometric observations

Maina, John N.; Maloiy, G. M. O.

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1986.tb03602.x

Cited by 41 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…However, fine structural differences that have been discerned among the fish gills were evident in Oreochromis. The presence of well developed microridges on the gill filaments and, to a smaller extent, on the secondary lamellae, in particular, appears to characterize the gills of most solely water-breathing and bimodally breathing teleosts (Hughes and Munshi 1978;Hughes 1979;Kendall and Dale 1979;Hossler et al 1979a, b;Dunel and Laurent 1980;Hughes and Mondolfino 1983;Maina and Maloiy 1986). The spatial distribution and the pattern of these ridges, however, appear to differ in details both inter-and intraspecially.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study of the morphology of the gills of an extreme alkalinity and hyperosmotic adapted teleost Oreochromis alcalicus grahami (boulenger) with particular emphasis on the ultrastructure of the chloride cells and their modifications with water dilution

Maina

1990

Anat Embryol

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The general gill morphology of Oreochromis alcalicus grahami, a teleost adapted to high salinity and hyperosmosis, is basically similar to that of other teleostean fish. The species has four pairs of gill arches, all of which have well developed filaments. Each of the arches (holobranchs) has two rows of filaments (hemibranchs). Bilaterally situated secondary lamellae branch from the central axis of the filaments. The lamellae reach their maximum size at the middle of the filament, gradually decrease in size and eventually disappear towards the tip of the filament, which is bare. The leading edge of the gill filament and the immediate interlamellar space is covered by a stratified epithelium consisting of pavement cells, mucous cells, chloride cells and undifferentiated cells. The surface of these cells is made up of concentric microridges. The chloride cells were found only on the primary epithelium (filamental epithelium) and very rarely on the secondary epithelium (lamellar epithelium). Two types of chloride cells were observed in the gills of Oreochromis. The superficial chloride cells have fewer mitochondria concentrated towards the basal aspect of the cell, and a network of tubules towards the apical surface and are less electron dense. These cells intercommunicate with the water through an apical pore. The deep chloride cells have numerous diffuse mitochondria intercalated between a fine profuse tubular network and are more electron dense. These cells are covered by one or more layers of pavement cells and thus do not have access to the external surface. After gradual dilution of the lake water in which the fish were kept, both types of chloride cells remained topographically and ultrastructurally distinct. However, in both kinds of cell the mitochondria decreased in number and size. Initially there was an increase in the diameter and the degree of interdigitation of the tubules followed by a gradual decrease. An increase in the quantity of rough endoplasmic reticulum, particularly at the perinuclear region of the cell, was noted. The morphometric analysis of the branchial system indicated that the gills of Oreochromis are well adapted for gas exchange by having numerous and relatively long gill filaments with a high lamellar density. These features provide a large surface for gas exchange which, when coupled with the notably thin water-blood barrier of an average thickness of only 0.83 micro, would facilitate efficient absorption of oxygen by the gills. Oreochromis alcalicus was observed to be incapable of adapting to freshwater. This may have been due to the progressive degeneration of the chloride cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study of the morphology of the gills of an extreme alkalinity and hyperosmotic adapted teleost Oreochromis alcalicus grahami (boulenger) with particular emphasis on the ultrastructure of the chloride cells and their modifications with water dilution

Maina

1990

Anat Embryol

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“…Thus, in Siluriformes virtually every part of the body except the swimbladder is used for air breathing. In the walking catfish, Clarias , branched organs extend dorsally from the branchial chambers: in the closely related Heteropneustes the chambers are unbranched and penetrate deep into musculature, forming long sacs analogous to the lungs in the bichir, Polypterus (338, 464, 558, 559). In Cypriniformes (carp and relatives) the posterior chamber is O 2 secreting, whereas some Characiformes (e.g., the jejú, Hoplerythrinus ) developed the posterior chamber for gas exchange.…”

Section: Section 3 Air Breathing In Vertebrates: Transition From Watmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Air Breathing: Oxygen Homeostasis and the Transitions from Water to Land and Sky

Hsia

Schmitz

Lambertz

et al. 2013

Comprehensive Physiology

278

147

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Life originated in anoxia, but many organisms came to depend upon oxygen for survival, independently evolving diverse respiratory systems for acquiring oxygen from the environment. Ambient oxygen tension (PO2) fluctuated through the ages in correlation with biodiversity and body size, enabling organisms to migrate from water to land and air and sometimes in the opposite direction. Habitat expansion compels the use of different gas exchangers, for example, skin, gills, tracheae, lungs, and their intermediate stages, that may coexist within the same species; coexistence may be temporally disjunct (e.g., larval gills vs. adult lungs) or simultaneous (e.g., skin, gills, and lungs in some salamanders). Disparate systems exhibit similar directions of adaptation: toward larger diffusion interfaces, thinner barriers, finer dynamic regulation, and reduced cost of breathing. Efficient respiratory gas exchange, coupled to downstream convective and diffusive resistances, comprise the “oxygen cascade”—step-down of PO2 that balances supply against toxicity. Here, we review the origin of oxygen homeostasis, a primal selection factor for all respiratory systems, which in turn function as gatekeepers of the cascade. Within an organism's lifespan, the respiratory apparatus adapts in various ways to upregulate oxygen uptake in hypoxia and restrict uptake in hyperoxia. In an evolutionary context, certain species also become adapted to environmental conditions or habitual organismic demands. We, therefore, survey the comparative anatomy and physiology of respiratory systems from invertebrates to vertebrates, water to air breathers, and terrestrial to aerial inhabitants. Through the evolutionary directions and variety of gas exchangers, their shared features and individual compromises may be appreciated.

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“…In Clarias mossambicus , the extremely thin blood–gas barriers of the accessory respiratory organs provide a high diffusing capacity for oxygen compared with the gills (e.g. Maina & Maloiy, 1986).…”

Section: Fundamental Principles In the Design Of Gas Exchangersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure, function and evolution of the gas exchangers: comparative perspectives

2002

Self Cite

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Over the evolutionary continuum, animals have faced similar fundamental challenges of acquiring molecular oxygen for aerobic metabolism. Under limitations and constraints imposed by factors such as phylogeny, behaviour, body size and environment, they have responded differently in founding optimal respiratory structures. A quintessence of the aphorism that 'necessity is the mother of invention', gas exchangers have been inaugurated through stiff cost-benefit analyses that have evoked transaction of trade-offs and compromises. Cogent structuralfunctional correlations occur in constructions of gas exchangers: within and between taxa, morphological complexity and respiratory efficiency increase with metabolic capacities and oxygen needs. Highly active, small endotherms have relatively better-refined gas exchangers compared with large, inactive ectotherms. Respiratory structures have developed from the plain cell membrane of the primeval prokaryotic unicells to complex multifunctional ones of the modern Metazoa. Regarding the respiratory medium used to extract oxygen from, animal life has had only two choices -water or air -within the biological range of temperature and pressure the only naturally occurring respirable fluids. In rarer cases, certain animals have adapted to using both media. Gills (evaginated gas exchangers) are the primordial respiratory organs: they are the archetypal water breathing organs.Lungs (invaginated gas exchangers) are the model air breathing organs. Bimodal (transitional) breathers occupy the water-air interface. Presentation and exposure of external (water/air) and internal (haemolymph/blood) respiratory media, features determined by geometric arrangement of the conduits, are important features for gas exchange efficiency: counter-current, cross-current, uniform pool and infinite pool designs have variably developed.

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The morphology of the respiratory organs of the African air‐breathing catfish (Clarias mossambicus): A light, electron and scanning microscopic study, with morphometric observations

Cited by 41 publications

References 45 publications

A study of the morphology of the gills of an extreme alkalinity and hyperosmotic adapted teleost Oreochromis alcalicus grahami (boulenger) with particular emphasis on the ultrastructure of the chloride cells and their modifications with water dilution

A study of the morphology of the gills of an extreme alkalinity and hyperosmotic adapted teleost Oreochromis alcalicus grahami (boulenger) with particular emphasis on the ultrastructure of the chloride cells and their modifications with water dilution

Evolution of Air Breathing: Oxygen Homeostasis and the Transitions from Water to Land and Sky

Structure, function and evolution of the gas exchangers: comparative perspectives

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