Effect of flying activity on capillary-fiber geometry in pigeon flight muscle

The effect of flying activity on capillary density and geometry was investigated in pectoralis muscle of 4 wild-caught (W) pigeons (BW 233-348 g) perfusion-fixed in situ and processed for electron microscopy. Morphometric analysis revealed both differences and similarities with similar sampling sites (superficial and deep in central area of right or left pectoralis major muscle, approximately midway along cranio-caudal and lateral axis) in sedentary (S) pigeons. Differences were the greater fractional cross-sectional area of aerobic fibers (W, 82 +/- 2%; S, 63 +/- 6%; p = 0.006) and the greater volume density of mitochondria per volume of fiber (W, 22.0 +/- 1.3%; S, 15.7 +/- 1.7%; p = 0.011) in wild-caught pigeons. While glycolytic fibers were significantly narrower in W, the size of the majority of fibers comprising the muscles, i.e. aerobic fibers, was similar in the two groups. Other similarities were found in capillary-to-fiber ratio (W, 2.0 +/- 0.2; S, 2.1 +/- 0.2) and in the degree of orientation of capillaries in the two groups. In addition, both capillary density at a given fractional cross-sectional area of aerobic fibers and capillary length per fiber volume at a given mitochondrial volume density were similar in the two groups, indicating a proportional increase in capillarity and muscle aerobic capacity in W compared with S. Comparison of capillary numbers around aerobic fibers at a given mitochondrial volume per microns length of fiber showed no difference between W and S groups nor with previous data in muscles with wide differences in fiber size and mitochondrial density such as rat soleus, bat muscles and hummingbird flight muscles. This supported the notion of a tight correlation between capillary numbers around individual fibers and mitochondrial volume per unit length of fiber in aerobic muscles. It also supported the idea that it is the number of capillaries around the fibers rather than diffusion distance which determines O2 flux rates in highly aerobic muscles.