Morphology of mitochondria in a teleost, salmo gairdneri

Mitochondria have been observed at the ultrastructural level as spherical, oval, or sausagelike. Mitochondria average 0.3 to 1.0 um in diameter and 1.0 to 10.0 μm in length. Mitochondria may exceed these dimensions under certian physiological or pathological conditions. The number of mitochondria may reflect the metabolic condition of cells. Cells with high ATP demands display a large number of mitochondria. High energy requirements characterize muscles in both vertebrates and invertebrates. It has been established that yeast cells have but a single mitochondrion. This investigation was designed to ascertain if the numerous mitochondrial profiles represent a single mitochondrion in vertebrate cells.