Source Texts
Text
Myoglobin (Mb) is a protein that primarily aids in oxygen storage and diffusion across the mitochondrial membrane in cardiac muscle cells; these are necessary functions in aerobic organisms, including teleost fish. Carrying out these functions typically requires Mb to be expressed at high levels, evidenced by red heart tissue. The table shows the average Mb levels and their standard deviations (indicating how dispersed the Mb levels of individual fish are in relation to the average) of three teleost fish species, as calculated by Daniel J. Macqueen et al. Based on the data, the researchers concluded that for some teleost species, oxygen storage and diffusion may occur with negligible assistance from Mb.