
What is the function of gill arches in fish?
The Main function of the Gill arches Gill arch of vertebrates function as a filtering mechanism with the help of Gill rakers located on the arc facing in the oral cavity of the fish. This gives you the opportunity to hold in your mouth suspension in the water column, and nutrient microorganisms.
How do the dorsal gill arch muscles work together in teleosts?
The activity coordination of the dorsal gill arch muscles in a teleost, the carp, is described and the effect of their contraction in combination with the respiratory pump movements is analysed.
What are branchial arches in fish?
Branchial arches, or gill arches, are a series of bony "loops" present in fish, which support the gills. As gills are the primitive condition of vertebrates, all vertebrate embryos develop pharyngeal arches, though the eventual fate of these arches varies between taxa.
What is the function of gill arc in flower?
On the external side of the Gill arc more convex, side of the arcs depart Gill filaments, which are cartilaginous rays. Gill arch serves as an anchor for the attachment of the petals, which are kept on them to your base to their base, and the free edges diverge inwards and outwards at an acute angle.

What is a gill arch in fish?
Definition of gill arch 1 : any of the bony or cartilaginous arches or curved bars extending dorsoventrally and placed one behind the other on each side of the pharynx and supporting the gills of fishes and amphibians.
What is a gill arch in biology?
branchial arch, also called Visceral Arch, or Gill Arch, one of the bony or cartilaginous curved bars on either side of the pharynx (throat) that support the gills of fishes and amphibians; also, a corresponding rudimentary ridge in the embryo of higher vertebrates, which in some species may form real but transitory ...
What is the function of the gill rakers and gill arches?
Gill rakers in fish are bony or cartilaginous processes that project from the branchial arch (gill arch) and are involved with suspension feeding tiny prey. They are not to be confused with the gill filaments that compose the fleshy part of the gill used for gas exchange.
How do gill arches help gas exchange?
The fish opens its mouth to let water in, then closes its mouth and forces the water through the gills and out through the operculum (gill cover). This means the water flows through the gills in one direction, allowing for more efficient gas exchange than if the water had to go in and out the same way.
What are gill arches made of?
The Gill Arches: Meckel's Cartilage. Meckel's Cartilage, also known as the Meckelian Cartilage (hereinafter the "MC") is best known as the original and most primitive lower jaw.
How many gill arches does a fish have?
All modern fishes have four respiratory gill arches and a 5th non-respiratory arch on each side of the buccal cavity.
What are the names and the functions of the three main parts of a gill?
The gills are composed of three main parts: filaments, rakers, and arches. The arches are the structural component of the gill, rakers prevent debris from entering the fish through the gills, and the filaments absorb oxygen.
Which part of the gill of fish is involved in gaseous exchange?
Water taken in continuously through the mouth passes backward between the gill bars and over the gill filaments, where the exchange of gases takes place.
How do fish breathe through gills?
Fish take water into their mouth, passing the gills just behind its head on each side. Dissolved oxygen is absorbed from—and carbon dioxide released to—the water, which is then dispelled. The gills are fairly large, with thousands of small blood vessels, which maximizes the amount of oxygen extracted.
Do Sharks have gill arches?
Sharks can have up to seven external gill openings, but most species have five. Gill arches are considered part of the skeleton; they hold the gills in place. The arches support one or two rows of gill filaments.
Who explained gill arch theory?
Gill arches are curved pieces of bone or cartilage, each of which supports one of the actual gills. Back in the late 1800s, German anatomist Karl Gegenbaur postulated that paired fins evolved from the gill arches, since the arches appear earlier than the fins in the fossil record.
What is the function of gill slits in sharks?
The anterior edge of a gill slit is motile, moving outward to allow water to exit, but closing to prevent reverse flow. A modified slit, called a spiracle, lies just behind the eye, which assists the shark with taking in water during respiration and plays a major role in bottom–dwelling sharks.
How many gill arches does a fish have?
All modern fishes have four respiratory gill arches and a 5th non-respiratory arch on each side of the buccal cavity.
What are the gill arches?
The gill arches form as pharyngeal arches during embryogenesis, and lay the basis of essential structures such as jaws, the thyroid gland, the larynx, the columella (corresponding to the stapes in mammals) and in mammals the malleus and incus.
What is the branchial arch?
Branchial arch. Branchial arches, or gill arches, are a series of bony "loops" present in fish, which support the gills. As gills are the primitive condition of vertebrates, all vertebrate embryos develop pharyngeal arches, though the eventual fate of these arches varies between taxa. In jawed fish, the first arch develops into the jaws, ...
What is the branchial system used for?
The branchial system is typically used for respiration and/or feeding. Many fish have modified posterior gill arches into pharyngeal jaws, often equipped with specialized pharyngeal teeth for handling particular prey items (long, sharp teeth in carnivorous moray eels compared to broad, crushing teeth in durophagous black carp). In amphibians and reptiles, the hyoid arch is modified for similar reasons. It is often used in buccal pumping and often plays a role in tongue protrusion for prey capture. In species with highly specialized ballistic tongue movements such as chameleons or some plethodontid salamanders, the hyoid system is highly modified for this purpose, while it is often hypertrophied in species which use suction feeding. Species such as snakes and monitor lizards, whose tongue has evolved into a purely sensory organ, often have very reduced hyoid systems.
How many arches are there in the primitive arrangement?
The primitive arrangement is 7 (possibly 8) arches, each consisting of the same series of paired (left and right) elements. In order from dorsal-most to ventral-most, these are the pharyngobranchial, epibranchial, ceratobranchial, hypobranchial, and basibranchial. The pharyngobranchials may articulate with the neurocranium, while the left and right basibranchials connect to each other (often fusing into a single bone). When part of the hyoid system, the names of the bones are altered by replacing "-branchial" with "-hyal", thus "ceratobranchial" becomes "ceratohyal".
What is the basihyal?
In tetrapods, the basihyal is known as the hyoid bone. Basibranchials, which are most common in osteichthyans, have the form of one or more rod-like bones projecting backwards along the throat. The Ceratohyals and Ceratobranchials lie above their respective basi- components, slanting backwards and upwards.
Where is the basihyal bone?
The Basihyal and Basibranchials lie at the midline of the lower edge of the throat. Almost all modern chondrichthyans have a single midline basihyal, as do many teleosts, lungfish, and tetrapodomorphs. In tetrapods, the basihyal is known as the hyoid bone. Basibranchials, which are most common in osteichthyans, have the form of one or more rod-like bones projecting backwards along the throat.
How many gills do fish have?
Each gill is supported by a cartilaginous or bony gill arch. Bony fish have three pairs of arches, cartilaginous fish have five to seven pairs, and primitive jawless fish have seven .
Abstract
The activity coordination of the dorsal gill arch muscles in a teleost, the carp, is described and the effect of their contraction in combination with the respiratory pump movements is analysed.
Keywords
Respiration Physiology (1985) 60, 39-57 39 Elsevier GILL ARCH MOVEMENTS AND THE FUNCTION OF THE DORSAL GILL ARCH MUSCLES IN THE CARP C.M. BALLINTIJN and G.J. PUNT Department of Animal Physiology, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands Abstract.
