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Does Intracellular Metabolite Diffusion Limit Post-Contractile Recovery In Burst Locomotor Muscle?, Stephen T. Kinsey, Pragyansri Pathi, Kristin M. Hardy, Amanda Jordan, Bruce R. Locke

Biological Sciences

Post-metamorphic growth in the blue crab entails an increase in body mass that spans several orders of magnitude. The muscles that power burst swimming in these animals grow hypertrophically, such that small crabs have fiber diameters that are typical of most cells (600μm). Thus, as the animals grow, their muscle fibers cross and greatly exceed the surface area to volume ratio (SA:V) and intracellular diffusion distance threshold that is adhered to by most cells. Large fiber size should not impact burst contractile function, but post-contractile recovery may be limited by low SA:V and excessive intracellular diffusion distances. A number of …