only 2 percent of the oxygen intake in humans is used by respiratory muscles. do you think the percent of oxygen used by respiratory muscles in a fish is higher or lower than this
Air has a small mass & viscosity and contains 20% oxygen, while water has a much higher mass & viscosity and contains less oxygen (~5%).
What do these considerations alone tell you?
If you wish, further reading & discussion can be found here:
http://www.lookd.com/fish/respiration.html
The percent of oxygen used by respiratory muscles in a fish is generally lower than in humans.
Fish have more efficient respiratory systems compared to humans. They extract oxygen directly from water using specialized gills, which allow for a higher oxygen uptake compared to the relatively low concentrations of oxygen in water. Since fish do not breathe air like humans do, they have significantly lower oxygen requirements for their respiratory muscles. Therefore, it can be inferred that the percentage of oxygen utilized by respiratory muscles in fish is lower than the 2% observed in humans.
To determine whether the percentage of oxygen used by respiratory muscles in a fish is higher or lower than in humans, let's consider some factors.
In humans, about 2% of the total oxygen uptake is consumed by the respiratory muscles during normal breathing. This value is relatively low because humans have evolved efficient respiratory systems. However, fish have a different anatomical structure and respiration process compared to humans.
Fish obtain oxygen from water through their gills, which extract oxygen dissolved in the water while simultaneously removing carbon dioxide. Unlike humans, fish don't have lungs and rely on gills to respire. Gills are highly efficient organs that extract oxygen from water, allowing fish to extract a significant amount of oxygen with each breath.
Considering that fish rely solely on gills for respiration, it is likely that the percentage of oxygen used by their respiratory muscles will be higher than the 2% in humans. Fish need to actively pump water over their gills to extract oxygen, which requires muscular effort. Therefore, a higher percentage of oxygen uptake is probably utilized by respiratory muscles in fish compared to humans.
However, it's important to note that the exact percentage may vary depending on the species, size, and swimming activity of the fish.