Growth and Development of the Skeletal Muscle Fibres of the Cod (Gadus Morhua L.)

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Abstract
The increase in diameter and total number (in cross-section) of red and white muscle fibres was followed throughout the length range of the cod. Small cod (<15 cm) have very large (up to 127 microns) peripheral white fibres. The number of red and white fibres increases throughout the length range and the sarcomere length reaches a constant value of 2.1 microns at 15 cm. The diameters of red and white muscle fibres increase in a sigmoid manner, the red fibres reach a constant diameter of 50 microns at 83 cm, the white fibres reach 135 microns at 83 cm, but subsequently decrease in diameter resulting in a decline in the total cross-sectional area of the white fibres. These changes appear to be a function of length rather than age. The distance between the centre of adjacent myofibrils in white fibres from cod 100 cm. Fat globules were found to be concentrated in the red muscle fibres, although the presence of some densely-staining fibres in the white musculature suggested that there might be a degree of intermingling of the two types of fibre. These results are discussed in relation to the swimming performance, drag, senescence and mortality of the cod.

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