Answer to Question #143032 in Zoology for RamC

Question

Discuss the pattern of blood flow through the circulatory system of a lungfish and why is important to understand this particular pattern of circulation?

Answer 1

Lungfish have a dipnoan heart structure.

Lungfish have a partially divided heart which separates into the right and left atrium.

The sinus venosus opens into the right side of the atrium.

Vessels from the lung return oxygenated blood to the left atrium (pulmonary vein).

The ventricle and conus arteriosus are also partially divided, although there is some mixing of deoxygenated and oxygenated blood.

As blood goes through the conus arteriosus, a branch carries oxygenated blood from the left side of the ventricle to the anterior gills.

A second branch of the conus carries deoxygenated blood to posterior gills and the lungs from the right side of the ventricle.

This ushers in the beginning of the double circulatory system.

The circulatory systems of lungfishes are similar to those of amphibians, and although lungfishes do not seem to have been amphibian ancestors, they are related to fishes that were.

The cardiovascular system in lingfish is crucial by virtue of its role in transporting nutrients, respiratory gases, hormones, and waste products.