Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two Southwestern Atlantic Dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus - A comparative approach

The existence of myoelastic sphincters in the terminal airways of some cetaceans is well established. Although several studies have tried to explain the functional role of these structures, none of them has been based on a comparative analysis. The present study was initiated with the purpose of inv...

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Publicado: 2005
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Acceso en línea:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00251461_v69_n2_p233_Crespo
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00251461_v69_n2_p233_Crespo
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spelling paper:paper_00251461_v69_n2_p233_Crespo2023-06-08T14:52:43Z Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two Southwestern Atlantic Dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus - A comparative approach Bronchial sphincters Diving Dolphin Lungs dolphin functional morphology Cetacea Coryphaenidae Lagenorhynchus obscurus Pontoporia blainvillei The existence of myoelastic sphincters in the terminal airways of some cetaceans is well established. Although several studies have tried to explain the functional role of these structures, none of them has been based on a comparative analysis. The present study was initiated with the purpose of investigating whether differences in the morphology of myoelastic sphincters are related to different diving patterns. We have compared serial histological lungs sections from two dolphin species with different diving patterns. In Pontoporia blainvillei, a shallow diving dolphin, myoelastic sphincters are thin rings with irregular distribution, which occasionally strangle the airway. Lagenorhynchus obscurus, with deeper dives and faster vertical displacements, presents thicker sphincters with regular distribution, generally strangling the airway completely. We conclude that these morphologies could be related to different functional demands. We suggest the existence of two groups of dolphins, one shallow diver, comprising small cetaceans with less developed sphincters whose functional activity is uncertain, and another group with a wider diving range, having strong and functional sphincters. © Publications Scientifiques du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. 2005 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00251461_v69_n2_p233_Crespo http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00251461_v69_n2_p233_Crespo
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Bronchial sphincters
Diving
Dolphin
Lungs
dolphin
functional morphology
Cetacea
Coryphaenidae
Lagenorhynchus obscurus
Pontoporia blainvillei
spellingShingle Bronchial sphincters
Diving
Dolphin
Lungs
dolphin
functional morphology
Cetacea
Coryphaenidae
Lagenorhynchus obscurus
Pontoporia blainvillei
Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two Southwestern Atlantic Dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus - A comparative approach
topic_facet Bronchial sphincters
Diving
Dolphin
Lungs
dolphin
functional morphology
Cetacea
Coryphaenidae
Lagenorhynchus obscurus
Pontoporia blainvillei
description The existence of myoelastic sphincters in the terminal airways of some cetaceans is well established. Although several studies have tried to explain the functional role of these structures, none of them has been based on a comparative analysis. The present study was initiated with the purpose of investigating whether differences in the morphology of myoelastic sphincters are related to different diving patterns. We have compared serial histological lungs sections from two dolphin species with different diving patterns. In Pontoporia blainvillei, a shallow diving dolphin, myoelastic sphincters are thin rings with irregular distribution, which occasionally strangle the airway. Lagenorhynchus obscurus, with deeper dives and faster vertical displacements, presents thicker sphincters with regular distribution, generally strangling the airway completely. We conclude that these morphologies could be related to different functional demands. We suggest the existence of two groups of dolphins, one shallow diver, comprising small cetaceans with less developed sphincters whose functional activity is uncertain, and another group with a wider diving range, having strong and functional sphincters. © Publications Scientifiques du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.
title Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two Southwestern Atlantic Dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus - A comparative approach
title_short Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two Southwestern Atlantic Dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus - A comparative approach
title_full Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two Southwestern Atlantic Dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus - A comparative approach
title_fullStr Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two Southwestern Atlantic Dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus - A comparative approach
title_full_unstemmed Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two Southwestern Atlantic Dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus - A comparative approach
title_sort functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two southwestern atlantic dolphins: pontoporia blainvillei and lagenorhynchus obscurus - a comparative approach
publishDate 2005
url https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00251461_v69_n2_p233_Crespo
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00251461_v69_n2_p233_Crespo
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