The analysis of oxygen uptake and transport in different kinds of animals

Abstract

Many quantitative methods are used to compare gas exchange in various classes of vertebrate animals. Although respiratory data are now available for several different phyla, the generality of the concepts involved and hence their suitability for broad comparisons is not clear. Data for animals representing six phyla are analysed in terms ranging from simple extraction percentages to the potentially innovative measures of the effectiveness of gas exchange. A critical examination of these concepts in the light of the biology of the particular species emphasizes the caution with which they must be used.