Which effect impedes gas exchange when fish gills experience increased mucus secretion due to bacterial infection?

💡 Explanation

When mucus secretion increases, the diffusion distance increases because the thicker mucus layer impairs the Fick's Law diffusion across the gill membrane surface, reducing the oxygen uptake rate. Therefore a reduced diffusion gradient effectiveness prevails, rather than increased exchange or changes in solubility or hemoglobin affinity which depend on unaffected gill surfaces.

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