title: Short and long-term strategies to facilitate aerial exposure in a galaxiid.
abstract: This study investigated two potential strategies to survive short and longer-term aerial exposure in a galaxiid. This scaleless fish possesses cutaneous pores that dilated in the short-term (15 min-3 h) but contracted over longer periods (15 h) out of water, suggesting that these organs are used to cope with shorter durations of air exposure. Pores on the abdominal surface showed the greatest variation while those on the operculum surface hardly changed. Conversely, thickening of the epithelial layer of secondary gill lamellae showed a slower increase but persisted in an approximately linear fashion over the duration of this study, indicating that this is a strategy that facilitates longer-term aerial exposure. Thus, this species has the capacity to accommodate both short and long-term exposure to air.
authors: Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, P. O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Magellan
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Pinchuck
authors: E R
authors: ER
authors: Swartz
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000388:Air; D000818:Animals; D005880:Gills / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D036441:Osmeriformes / Q000502:physiology*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena
keywords: air breathing; cutaneous respiration; electron microscopy; gill epithelial layer; gill modification