Myoglobin Concentration and Oxygen Stores in Different Functional Muscle Groups from Three Small Cetacean Species.

ABSTRACT: Compared with terrestrial mammals, marine mammals possess increased muscle myoglobin concentrations (Mb concentration, g Mb · 100g-1 muscle), enhancing their onboard oxygen (O2) stores and their aerobic dive limit. Although myoglobin is not homogeneously distributed, cetacean muscle O2 stores have been often determined by measuring Mb concentration from a single muscle sample (longissimus dorsi) and multiplying that value by the animal's locomotor muscle or total muscle mass. This study serves to determine the accuracy of previous cetacean muscle O2 stores calculations. For that, body muscles from three delphinid species: Delphinus delphis, Stenella coeruleoalba, and Stenella frontalis, were dissected and weighed. Mb concentration was calculated from six muscles/muscle groups (epaxial, hyp

SUBMITTER: Arregui M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7915992 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature