Fig. 4. High performance characteristics are required for moderate activity levels in Antarctic fish muscle. The trend from carbohydrate to lipid metabolism and the associated accumulation of intracellular lipid, favoured by high mitochondrial densities and, most likely, excess citrate levels at low standard metabolic rates (SMRs), contribute to energy savings in the cold by reducing energy-dependent membrane transport and neutral buoyancy. Low SMRs correlate with extreme stenothermy in the cold (see text).

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