gills

Air-breathing

Guest post: Gretchen Stokes, University of Florida Air-breathing fishes are those that respire using aerial gas exchange instead of, or in addition to, that of the water.  Air-breathing is an ancient vertebrate specialization that evolved from aquatic hypoxia (e.g., areas of seasonally flooded wetlands, under ice).  Air-breathing fishes are equipped with one or more modified respiratory … [Read more…]

Gill rakers

While gill rakers have no role in gas exchange, the predominant function of gills,  they do perform an equally important function for filter-feeding fish – food acquisition.  These bony projections serve as a sieve to trap food particles.  They vary greatly in length and number and these characteristic differences have evolved with different feeding strategies … [Read more…]