exam 1 Flashcards
Anurans
amphibians that include frogs (in or around water) and toads (terrestrial)
Caudata/Urodela
amphibians that include newts (rough skin and aquatic) and salamanders (smooth skin) that are terrestrial as an adult
How do chelonians ventilate?
They uses muscles to increase the lung space
when inside dont have space to breathe, holding breathe inside
do not have intercostal muscles
What are the common pitfalls in obtaining blood from a turtle?
hematoma can develop from improper venipuncture
Lymph dilution or contamination is a common complication during blood collection in chelonians. Lymph-diluted blood samples will result in erroneous hematological, plasma biochemical and serological results
How do you determine the sex of turtles?
males have longer tales and plastron concavity
box turtles- males have red iris
semi-aquatic- males have elongated nails on forelimbs
Advantages of ectotherms
it is good for energy conservation
they need lower food requirements, have efficient food conversion, adapted to some very harsh environmental niches, hibernation, night cooling
What are some disadvantages of ectotherms?
their activity is limtied by the ambient temperature and therefore have limited environmental range, and extreme temperatures can lead to prolonged activity,
unable to sustain high activity levels
Heliothermy
a thermoregulatory mechanisms used by fish and most reptiles including turtles where radiant heat is the primary mechanism of maintaining temperature
Thigmothermy
A thermoregulatory mechanism used by nocturnal or forest dwelling species where they maintain temp using conduction. specifically, they find a source and absorb heat by putting their body on it
Preferred Optimal Temperature Zone
the temperature range of the natural habitat that is psecies dependent and where metabolic activity is predictable and optimized. practicing medicine in this zone dictates the metabolism of drugs and food
Poikilotherm
an organism that has a variable internal temperature
Why are all ectotherms not poikilotherms
some deep water fishes are unable to modulate their internal body temperature
How are not all poikilotherms ectotherms?
Naked Mole Rats are unable to maintain a steady body temperature and therefore have a variable internal temp
tunnels are divided with purpose at the right temp they need to maintain function
Methods of water filtration
Mechanical: traps large particles (suspended and solids) using gravel sand, foam, etc.
Biological: aerobically reduces nitrogenous waste using micro-organisms to break down ammonia and nitriates (oxidizes fish waste).Biofilms
Chemical: water passes through a substance and changes its chemistry using activated carbon, ammonia-absorbing clays, UV and ozone
Nitrogen
nitrogen enters through feces and plants and it gets eliminated by fish through passive diffusion of ammonia (NH3) from the gill capillaries
ammonia (both NH3 and NH4) are converted to nitrite (NO2-) using ammonia oxidizing bacteria then nitrates which is removed through water changes or can be uptaken by plants
Dissolved oxygen
a common cause of mortality
decreased by uneaten food, high water temp, salinity can lead to supersaturation/gas bubble disease
Supersaturation/gas bubble disease
where tissues reach equilibrium with the surrounding partial pressures of gas
The culprit is nitrogen
important to measure dissolved oxygen and treat with excess gas elimination
Unionized ammonia
highly toxic and should not be present in an aquatic tank. It should be simply removed by bacteria
increases with temperatures pH and decreases in salinity
caused by vigorous cleaning, overfeeding, and malfunction of biological filter
New Tank Syndrome
leads to neurologic signs, hyper-excitability of fish from vigorous cleaning and lack of bacteria in the tank to convert ammonia in the nitrogen cycle. Treat using nitrifying bacteria or ammonia chloride, discontinue feeding, decrease density,
Nitrite
the intermediate of the nitrogen cycle that is toxic to fish. It passively enters the bloodstream across the gill epithelium, it then complexes with hemoglobin to form methemoglobin leading to brown blood disease
Brown Blood Disease
the chocolate color of the gills and blood that is a result of too much nitrate in the tank.
Treat with water change, increasing NaCl as it is a competitive inhibitor of nitrate at the gill epithelium
Nitrate
typically a chronic problem in the tank, leading to dyspnea, tan/brown gills and brown blood, similar to nitrite toxicity
treat using water changes, decrease density, add buffers (similar to nitrite)
Low tank pH
increased mucus production, poor growth, decreased reproduction
High tank pH
hypertrophy of cells in the gills and damage to the cornea
How does pH influence NH3
ammonia toxicity dramatically increases as pH rises and more deaths. This causes fish spiiner “skittering” near the surface
test ammonia, pH, and water temperatures
Swim bladder
air filled organ used by some fish to maintain buoyancy at a desired depth and produce or hear sound
can be physostomous- connected directly to the GI tract so fish can gulp air
or physoclistous so gas must diffuse from the blood
where is the swim bladder located?
it is located dorsal to the stomach and ventral to the vertebral column
Where are fish gonads located?
they are elongated, paired and contained laterally in the abdominal cavity, ventral to the air bladder, suspended from the dorsal wall and surrounded by peritoneum
