A Cephalopod Approach to Rethinking about the Importance of the Bohr and Haldane Effects

Abstract

This study concerns the physiological implications of the Bohr and Haldane effects and the buffer values in the blood from the cephalopods Nautilus pompilius, Octopus macropus, Sepia latimanus, Nototodarus sloani philippinensis, and Sepioteuthis lessoniana. All species studied except one (Nautilus) have Bohr and Haldane coefficients numerically higher than unity, and the two effects were found to be nearly identical in all cases, in accord with the theoretical prediction of Wyman (1964). However, the functional Haldane coefficient was significantly lower than the Haldane coefficient in two cases (Sepia and Sepioteuthis). Buffer values were highest in the two species with the lowest oxygen requirement (Nautilus and Octopus), whereas the three fast swimmers studied (Nototodarus, Sepia, and Sepioteuthis) display comparatively low buffer values. It is concluded that the large Bohr effects seen in four of the five species may have their primary effect on oxygen loading in the gills.