Many vertebrates respond to severe hypoxia by simply, well, dying. Some species,
ID: 3515950 • Letter: M
Question
Many vertebrates respond to severe hypoxia by simply, well, dying. Some species, survive for extended periods by entering a state of metabolic depression in which their need for ATP production is so incredibly diminished they can survive for extended periods. Perhaps most amazingly are those aquatic vertebrates which even in severely not only survive, but maintain fairly normal function in the nearly anoxic environment (i.e., they keep swimming around, feeding, etc.) How are such species, such as certain carps, able to survive and even remain active in severely hypoxic conditions? Why can’t we (beyond just saying, “we’d die”)?
Explanation / Answer
When some species survive at minimum oxygen level it is found that there are some adaptations are there in this situation like enhanced venilatory abilities, enhanced percentages remival of o2 from ventilatory stream, large gill surface areas form where actual o2 passes through, short diffusion distances from water to blood, hemocyanin as a respiratory protein with very high affinity of o2,large bohr effect. They afe being very effective to remove enough oxygen form water. In human this all characteristics are not found out so this adaptations can not bring out in human so that we can not survive.