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

Abstract

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com Copyright © 2007 The Authors, Journal compilation © 2007 The Fisheries Society of the British IslesSwimming 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.R.M.G. Wells, J. Baldwin, R.S. Seymour, K.A. Christian and A.P. Farrel