Mass Transport: Circulatory System with Emphasis on Nonendothermic Species.

Mass transport can be generally defined as movement of material matter. The circulatory system then is a biological example given its role in the movement in transporting gases, nutrients, wastes, and chemical signals. Comparative physiology has a long history of providing new insights and advancing our understanding of circulatory mass transport across a wide array of circulatory systems.

Changes in cardiac performance during hypoxic exposure in the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio.

In hearts of higher invertebrates as well as vertebrates, the work performed by the ventricle is a function of both rate and contractility. Decapod crustaceans experience a hypoxia-induced bradycardia that is thought to result in an overall reduction in cardiac work; however, this hypothesis has not yet been tested and is the primary purpose of this study. In the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio, cardiac pressure and area data were obtained simultaneously, and in vivo, under normoxic (20.

Changes in caridac output and hemolymph flow during hypoxic exposure in the gravid grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio.

The cardiovascular response of decapod crustaceans to hypoxic exposure is well documented; however, information is limited concerning the influence of reproductive state on cardiovascular demands during hypoxic exposure. Given the additional metabolic demand of reproduction, we investigated the cardiovascular adjustments employed by gravid grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio to maintain oxygen delivery during hypoxic stress. Cardiac output values were elevated in gravid compared to nongravid grass shrimp.

Cardiovascular system of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus.

The circulatory system of adult blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, was mapped by either injecting barium sulfate into intact animals followed by radiography or by resin corrosion casts (Batsons Monomer). Seven arteries arise from the heart. The anterior aorta exits from the anterior dorsal surface of the heart and gives rise to the optic arteries; these arteries supply hemolymph to the supraesophageal ganglion and eyestalks.