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Aspects of the respiratory biology of two New Zealand intertidal fishes, Acanthoclinus fuscus and Forsterygion sp

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Aerial and aquatic VO2 measurements of Acanthoclinus fuscus and Forsterygion sp. showed that A. fuscus weighing up to 25 g obtained oxygen from air and water at similar rates, whereas the ratio of aerial to aquatic VO2 for F. sp. was mass dependent. The Q10 for aquatic respiration of A. fuscus and F. sp. was found to be 2.3 and 2.5, respectively. Aerial VO2 measurements showed that A. fuscus could continue to increase its aerial VO2 up to at least 25° C. In contrast the aerial VO2 of F. sp. increased only between 5° C and 15° C and decreased between 20 and 25° C. The Pcrits of both A. fuscus and F. sp. were found to be about 35 torr. Emergence in response to hypoxia occurred between 0 and 16 torr which suggested active emergence was an oxykinetic response and not a behaviour.

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Hill, J.V., Davison, W. & Marsden, I.D. Aspects of the respiratory biology of two New Zealand intertidal fishes, Acanthoclinus fuscus and Forsterygion sp. Environ Biol Fish 45, 85–93 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00000630

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