Abstract
Carcinus maenas is a water-breathing decapod crustacean characterized by nine pairs of phyllobranchiate gills housed in the branchial chamber, ventilated by a specialized outgrowth of the second maxilliped, the scaphognathite. The heart is typical of decapods and consists of a single-chambered ventricle suspended within the pericardial sinus. Arterial haemolymph flows from the heart to the tissues via seven arteries and drains from the tissues into interstitial lacunae and then large sinuses. Haemolymph returns to the heart via the gills, where it is oxygenated, and waste gases are exchanged with the external environment. C. maenas is considered to be relatively robust as it occupies intertidal and estuarine habitats, where this species survives environmental fluctuations, such as aerial exposure, hypoxia, temperature variation, and changes in salinity, as well as changes associated with anthropogenic activity (pollution, etc.). The current chapter first describes the main features of the respiratory and cardiovascular system in C. maenas and then explores the physiological adjustments taking place in order to ensure survival during environmental challenges. Such respiratory and cardiovascular adjustments can help to explain the success of this species both in inhabiting fluctuating environments and as a global invader.
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