Hagfish: Champions of CO2 tolerance question the origins of vertebrate gill function
The gill is widely accepted to have played a key role in the adaptive radiation of early vertebrates by supplanting the skin as the dominant site of gas exchange. However, in the most basal extant craniates, the hagfishes, gills play only a minor role in gas exchange. In contrast, we found hagfish gills to be associated with a tremendous capacity for acid-base regulation.
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Ancient Fish Evolved Gills to Survive Acidic Oceans
Fish gills evolved to balance pH, not breathe, suggests a new study.
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