Ichthyology 101
As Dave and I were making our way through Armand Bayou on Sunday, we saw some fish jumping. In the random manner of good conversations, this led us to the question of how fish breathe. We knew it involved gills...but couldn't get much beyond that. I know, I know...I was a marine biology major, I should know these things. But guess what? I don't remember everything I learned.
So I looked it up. Just in case you were wondering, here's the condensed version:
"The water surrounding a fish contains a small percentage of dissolved oxygen...so the fish must use a special system for concentrating the oxygen in the water to meet their physiological needs...In the gills, the blood picks up oxygen from the surrounding water [via diffusion]."
So there you go. Fish breathe by absorbing dissolved oxygen from the water, using highly-textured gill surfaces to absorb the oxygen in extremely high quantities. Just in case you needed to know.
Where I am: Home
What I'm reading: The Husband by Dean Koontz
So I looked it up. Just in case you were wondering, here's the condensed version:
"The water surrounding a fish contains a small percentage of dissolved oxygen...so the fish must use a special system for concentrating the oxygen in the water to meet their physiological needs...In the gills, the blood picks up oxygen from the surrounding water [via diffusion]."
So there you go. Fish breathe by absorbing dissolved oxygen from the water, using highly-textured gill surfaces to absorb the oxygen in extremely high quantities. Just in case you needed to know.
Where I am: Home
What I'm reading: The Husband by Dean Koontz
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