Why do aquatic water breathing vertebrates spend more of their metabolic energy

Question

Why do aquatic water breathing vertebrates spend more of their metabolic energy on ventilation than terrestrial air breathing vertebrates?

a. Terrestrial vertebrates developed more efficient respiratory exchange mechanisms when they moved on to land

b. Aquatic vertebrates have much thicker respiratory exchange membranes than terrestrial vertebrates

c. The respiratory organ surface area of aquatic organisms is typically much lower than that of terrestrial vertebrates

d. There's much less O2 dissolved in water than air, requiring more ventilation

Explanation / Answer

D. There's much less O2 dissolved in water than air, requiring more ventilation.

Reason: The amount of dissolved oxygen is fairly low in water as compared to the amount of oxygen in air, as aresult the rate of breathing in aquatic animals is much faster than that seen in terrestrial organisms, hence aquatic water breathing vertebrates spend more of their metabolic energy on ventilation.

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