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Cardiac output in the Mollusca: Scope and regulation

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Summary

Different molluscan groups have evolved functionally specialised cardiovascular systems in response to varied behavioural and environmental demands, making the study of cardiovascular regulation in these animals a fascinating area for research. Currently, such research is frustrated by the lack of data on the in vivo performance of these systems, although, where examined, increased cardiac output appears to be accommodated by a change in stroke volume. This paper considers the in vivo regulation of cardiac output, primarily by extrapolating from in vivo experiments, and proposes the following three hypotheses for future study.

  1. 1.

    The increase in stroke volume is critically dependent on the phasic action of acetylcholine, expanding the end-diastolic volume of the ventricle for the same returning venous pressure.

  2. 2.

    Circulating cardioactive peptides will set the level of myocardial tone on a sliding scale, against which the action of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors are expressed.

  3. 3.

    In extreme cases, the inherent myogenicity of the heart may depend on the level of a circulating peptide. Here, the organ might be better described as humourogenic, rather than myogenic.

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  1. Department of Zoology, Downing Street, CB2 3EJ, Cambridge, England

    P. J. S. Smith

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Smith, P.J.S. Cardiac output in the Mollusca: Scope and regulation. Experientia 43, 956–965 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01952210

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