Vascular peripheral resistance and compliance in the lobster Homarus americanus

The peripheral resistance to flow through each arterial bed (in actuality, the entire pathway from the heart back to the pericardial sinus) and the mechanical properties of the seven arteries leaving the lobster heart are measured and compared. Resistance is inversely proportional to artery radius and, for each pathway, the resistance falls non-linearly as flow rate increases. The resistance of the hepatic arterial system is lower than that predicted on the basis of its radius. Body-part posture and movement may affect the resistance to perfusion of that region. The total vascular resistance placed on the heart when each artery is perfused at a rate typical of in vivo flow rates is approximately 1.93 kPa s ml-1. All vessels exhibit adluminal layers of fibrils and are relatively compliant at pressures at or below heart systolic pressure. Arteries become stiffer at pressures greater than peak systolic pressure and at radii greater than twice the unpressurized radius. The dorsal abdominal artery possesses striated muscle in the lateral walls. This artery remains compliant over the entire range of hemolymph pressures expected in lobsters. These trends are illustrated when the incremental modulus of elasticity is compared among arteries. All arteries should function as Windkessels to damp the pulsatile pressures and flows generated by the heart. The dorsal abdominal artery may also actively regulate its flow.