Document Detail


Lung size and thoracic morphology in shallow- and deep-diving cetaceans.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20077515     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Shallow-diving, coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and deep-diving, pelagic pygmy and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia breviceps and K. sima) will experience vastly different ambient pressures at depth, which will influence the volume of air within their lungs and potentially the degree of thoracic collapse they experience. This study tested the hypotheses that lung size will be reduced and/or thoracic mobility will be enhanced in deeper divers. Lung mass (T. truncatus, n = 106; kogiids, n = 18) and lung volume (T. truncatus, n = 5; kogiids, n = 4), relative to total body mass, were compared. One T. truncatus and one K. sima were cross-sectioned to calculate lung, thoracic vasculature, and other organ volumes. Excised thoraxes (T. truncatus, n = 3; kogiids, n = 4) were mechanically manipulated to compare changes in thoracic cavity shape and volume. Kogiid lungs were half the mass and one-fifth the volume of those of similarly sized T. truncatus. The lungs occupied only 15% of the total thoracic cavity volume in K. sima and 37% in T. truncatus. The kogiid and dolphin thoraxes underwent similar changes in shape and volume, although the width of the thoracic inlet was relatively constrained in kogiids. A broader phylogenetic comparison demonstrated that the ratio of lung mass to total body mass in kogiids, physeterids, and ziphiids was similar to that of terrestrial mammals, while delphinids and phocoenids possessed relatively large lungs. Thus, small lung size in deep-diving odontocetes may be a plesiomorphic character. The relatively large lung size of delphinids and phocoenids appears to be a derived condition that may permit the lung to function as a site of respiratory gas exchange throughout a dive in these rapid breathing, short-duration, shallow divers.
Authors:
Marina A Piscitelli; William A McLellan; Sentiel A Rommel; James E Blum; Susan G Barco; D Ann Pabst
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of morphology     Volume:  271     ISSN:  1097-4687     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Morphol.     Publication Date:  2010 Jun 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-05-06     Completed Date:  2010-08-09     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0406125     Medline TA:  J Morphol     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  654-73     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403, USA. piscitellim@uncw.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adaptation, Physiological / physiology
Animals
Behavior, Animal / physiology
Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / anatomy & histology*,  physiology
Cetacea / anatomy & histology,  physiology
Diving / physiology*
Heart / anatomy & histology,  physiology
Joints / anatomy & histology,  physiology
Lung / anatomy & histology*,  physiology
Organ Size / physiology
Oxygen Consumption / physiology
Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
Pulmonary Artery / anatomy & histology,  physiology
Pulmonary Gas Exchange / physiology
Respiratory Mechanics / physiology
Respiratory Physiological Processes*
Ribs / anatomy & histology,  physiology
Species Specificity
Thoracic Cavity / anatomy & histology,  physiology
Thoracic Vertebrae / anatomy & histology,  physiology
Thorax / anatomy & histology*,  physiology
Whales / anatomy & histology*,  physiology

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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