Heart position and pulmonary vasculature in snakes with different lung morphologies

Abstract

The respiratory system of snakes, composed of a trachea and one or two lungs, shows considerable variation in terms of size and complexity, especially in terms of length and distribution of the respiratory epithelium. The importance of heart position within snakes has previously been investigated concerning gravitational stress. The relationship between respiratory gas exchange epithelium and heart position, however, has not been addressed in detail, which seems necessary, since the heart needs to pump blood through the pulmonary circulation for effective gas exchange. Herein, we analyze the morphology of the respiratory epithelium in Boa constrictor and Crotalus durissus stereologically regarding the composition of the gas exchange tissue and the distribution of blood vessels within the vascularized parts of the respiratory system. The gas exchange epithelium is composed of blood capillaries, larger vessels, trabeculae, and septa, forming an overall faveolar-type epithelium in both species. Pulmonary capillaries and respiratory surface area showed a tendency to be more concentrated in the anterior and middle portions of each lung’s respiratory epithelium, suggesting a tendency toward greater parenchymal development in these regions. Therefore, there seems to be no conclusive relationship between the position of the heart and pulmonary circulation, since in C. durissus the anterior and middle parenchymal regions are distant from the heart, whereas in B. constrictor the anterior and middle parenchymal regions are close to the heart, facilitating blood transport between the heart and the gas exchange epithelium.