An increase in the functional surface area (FSA) of the gills of freshwater fish facilitates increased oxygen consumption (MOO2) but also increases ion loss across the gills - a phenomenon that has been termed the osmorespiratory compromise. This study on the rainbow trout confirms that Na+ loss (JoutNa) accelerates with increasing MO2 but also shows that the former always exceeds the latter, i.e. the ion/gas ratio (IGR, JoutNa/MO2) increases. Since an increase in FSA should affect JNaout and MO2 equally, the increase in the IGR is attributed to an increase in ion permeability and is thought to arise through opening of paracellular diffusion channels via disruption of tight junctions — a conclusion supported by the effects of brief osmotic shock, low external Ca2+ concentration and catecholamine infusion on ion losses across the gills. By analogy with extensive studies on ‘leaky’ epithelia, these treatments disrupt tight junctions by cell shrinkage, by displacement of Ca2+ from tight junction surfaces or by increasing intralamellar pressure, respectively. While enforced exercise or handling stress substantially increased the IGR of the trout above routine levels, animals were also capable of reducing IGR to about one-tenth of routine levels. This regulation may, in part, be due to decreasing intralamellar pressure, achieved in part by down-regulation of adrenergic receptors, but there appears to be a significant additional level of control that is probably exerted directly at the tight junctions. Such a degree of control is only possible, however, if animals do not continue to exercise and if Ca2+ levels in the water are not reduced. With continued exercise, the IGR returns to routine levels. Consequently, ion losses remain substantially elevated, suggesting that they may ultimately limit maximum sustainable activity. Measurement of the IGR under routine conditions is proposed as a simple means of predicting ion losses during activity and of analyzing the nature of the osmorespiratory compromise.
Celebrating 100 years of discovery
We are proud to be celebrating 100 years of discovery in Journal of Experimental Biology. Visit our centenary webpage to find out more about how we are marking this historic milestone.
Craig Franklin launches our centenary celebrations
Editor-in-Chief Craig Franklin reflects on 100 years of JEB and looks forward to our centenary celebrations, including a supplementary special issue, a new early-career researcher interview series and the launch of our latest funding initiatives.
Looking back on the first issue of JEB
Journal of Experimental Biology launched in 1923 as The British Journal of Experimental Biology. As we celebrate our centenary, we look back at that first issue and the zoologists publishing their work in the new journal.
Webinar: Increasing the visibility and impact of your research
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Would you like to increase the visibility and impact of your research and raise your profile internationally? If so, register for the very practical webinar we are running in association with HUBS on 23 February 2023.
Biology Communication Workshop: Engaging the world in the excitement of research
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We are delighted to be sponsoring a Biology Communication Workshop for early-career researchers as part of JEB’s centenary celebrations. The workshop focuses on how to effectively communicate your science to other researchers and the public and takes place the day before the CSZ annual meeting, on 14 May 2023. Find out more and apply here.
Mexican fruit flies wave for distraction
Dinesh Rao and colleagues have discovered that Mexican fruit flies vanish in a blur in the eyes of predatory spiders when they wave their wings at the arachnids, buying the flies time to make their escape.
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