Average Mass Specific Surface Area For Three Fish

Figure 1. Average Mass Specific Surface Area for Three Fish. Error bars represent standard deviation from the mean. The graph represents the mass specific gill surface area for a sample size of 6 gill arches for each of the 4 lab sections (n=24). For Mackerel, the mass specific gill surface area was 13.62 cm2/kg. For Whiting, this value was 9.34 cm2/kg. Lastly, for flounder this value was 2.93 cm2/kg.

Results:
The three different species of fish, Mackerel, Whiting, and Flounder, have distinct observational differences. Mackerel is long and slender with a dark, striated pattern on the top lateral half of its body. It is blue and silver in color. Mackerel gills are a deep red color with relatively thick lamellae. Mackerel has the smallest
Whiting is slightly larger in width than Mackerel and has a distinct dorsal fin. It has a brownish silver color and gills that are smaller than that of Mackerel. The average body mass of Whiting is .45 kg. Flounder is the largest of the three fish with an average body mass of .75 kg. It is a flat fish that has two eyes on one side of its head. It has distinct long fins that cover the lengths of its body. Flounder gills are the smallest compared to that of the other fish. The absolute gill surface area for each species of fish was smaller compared to the mass specific gill surface area. The body mass for Mackerel, Whiting, and Flounder were, .41 kg, .45 kg, and .75 kg. Their corresponding absolute gill surface values were 5.345 cm, 4.104 cm, and 2.623 cm. Therefore, the fish with the highest mass specific gill surface area was Mackerel, and the fish
Mackerel most often dwell at the surface of the water, where oxygen content is higher (Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 866). They have a high oxygen demand for their vital processes and must keep swimming constantly, to bring sufficient flow of water to their gill filaments, or else they die (Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 866). Whiting can be found in mud and gravel beds where they feed on animals like crab, shrimp, mollusks, and other bottom feeders (ARKive). Since they live at lower depths than Mackerel, their oxygen requirements are less. A Flounder’s habitat is at a deeper level than the other two fish species. They can live at a depth of about 500 feet and feed on shrimp and other crustaceans (Dave, 2013). They have the lowest oxygen demand and can therefore thrive at deeper depths. This means that the fish with the smallest average body mass specific gill surface area has the lowest oxygen demand. Figure 1 shows that Flounder has the smallest body mass specific gill surface area because it lives at the lowest depths and requires the least amount of oxygen to survive. These fish also have other adaptations that enhance their gas exchange. For example, the location of the gills, the size of the gills, and the location of their fins all have some sort of effect on oxygen efficiency. Flounder gills