Environmental factors affecting ventilation in the ascidian,Pyura praeputialis

✍ Scribed by Evans, B. K. ;Huntington, R.

• Book ID: 102895283
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 643 KB
• Volume: 262
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-104X
• DOI: 10.1002/jez.1402620415

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Ventilatory behaviour in the Australian cunjevoi Pyura praeputialis is described in terms of the rate of ciliary pumping and the frequency of the squirting reflex. These two behaviours were examined during conditions of low pO~2~, high pCO~2~, high and low pH, and low salinity. Ciliary pumping was impaired during hypoxic, low pH, and hyposaline conditions, and was enhanced by conditions of high pH. Squirting behaviour was increased during hypoxic and hyposaline conditions. While the results for ciliary pumping may be due to direct effects on the cilia themselves, the experiments on squirting behaviour show that Pyura is able to detect and produce a coordinated response to hypoxia and hyposalinity. The adaptive significance of these responses is discussed. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.