Relating to both the gills and the heart, or describing anatomical connections between these two systems.
From Greek 'branchia' (gill) + 'cardiac' (from 'kardia', heart). Medical Latin combined these roots to describe circulatory-respiratory connections in aquatic animals.
In fish, the gills and heart are intimately linked—blood flowing from the heart to the gills and back creates a dual-pump system totally different from how our lungs work.
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