Fisheries Resources Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Ocean Associates, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Science. 2015 May 15;348(6236):786-9. doi: 10.1126/science.aaa8902.
Endothermy (the metabolic production and retention of heat to warm body temperature above ambient) enhances physiological function, and whole-body endothermy generally sets mammals and birds apart from other animals. Here, we describe a whole-body form of endothermy in a fish, the opah (Lampris guttatus), that produces heat through the constant "flapping" of wing-like pectoral fins and minimizes heat loss through a series of counter-current heat exchangers within its gills. Unlike other fish, opah distribute warmed blood throughout the body, including to the heart, enhancing physiological performance and buffering internal organ function while foraging in the cold, nutrient-rich waters below the ocean thermocline.
温血（代谢产生并保留热量以提高体温，使其高于环境温度）增强了生理功能，而全身温血通常使哺乳动物和鸟类与其他动物区分开来。在这里，我们描述了一种鱼类——月鱼（Lampris guttatus）的全身温血形式，它通过不断地“拍打”类似翅膀的胸鳍产生热量，并通过其鳃中的一系列逆流热交换器最小化热量损失。与其他鱼类不同，月鱼将温暖的血液分配到全身，包括心脏，从而增强了生理性能，并在海洋温跃层以下寒冷、营养丰富的水域觅食时缓冲内脏器官的功能。
