Vascular pressure in vertebrates is regulated by a range of factors; one key element of control is peripheral resistance in tissue capillary beds. I have explored in two independent vascular beds how a hypoxic response via HIF transcription factors influences cardiovascular function. These data indicate that independent tissues and their vascular beds form a complex physiological network of oxygen-responsive tissues that have the ability to influence, and not just be influenced by central regulators of cardiovascular function. This interaction amongst tissues indicates that cardiovascular response to hypoxia is likely the summation from a range of tissue responses, and not solely driven by central mediators of cardiovascular activity.