RESPIRATORY CHANGES IN STRANDED BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS ().

Lung function (breath duration, respiratory flow [], and tidal volume []), and end-expiratory O were measured in 19 adult bottlenose dolphins ( spp.) while at rest in water or beached for up to 10 min. The results show that inspiratory , expiratory , or inspiratory did not differ on land or in water.

Ventilation and gas exchange before and after voluntary static surface breath-holds in clinically healthy bottlenose dolphins, .

We measured respiratory flow (), breathing frequency (), tidal volume (), breath duration and end-expired O content in bottlenose dolphins () before and after static surface breath-holds ranging from 34 to 292 s. There was considerable variation in the end-expired O, and following a breath-hold. The analysis suggests that the dolphins attempt to minimize recovery following a dive by altering and to rapidly replenish the O stores.

Characterizing respiratory capacity in belugas (Delphinapterus leucas).

We measured respiratory flow, breath duration, and calculated tidal volume (V) in nine belugas (Delphinapterus leucas, mean measured body mass: 628 ± 151 kg, n = 5) housed in managed care facilities. Both spontaneous (resting at station) and trained maximal respirations (chuffs) were measured. The mean (±s.

Partial Redundancy and Morphological Homeostasis: Reliable Development through Overlapping Mechanisms.

How might organisms grow into their desired physical forms in spite of environmental and genetic variation? How do they maintain this form in spite of physical insults? This article presents a case study in simulated morphogenesis, using a physics-based model for embryonic epithelial tissue. The challenges of the underlying physics force the introduction of closed-loop controllers for both spatial patterning and geometric structure. Reliable development is achieved not through elaborate control procedures or exact solutions, but through crude layering of independent, overlapping mechanisms.

Lung mechanics and pulmonary function testing in cetaceans.

We measured esophageal pressures, respiratory flow rates, and expired O2 and CO2 in six adult bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during voluntary breaths and maximal (chuff) respiratory efforts. The data were used to estimate the dynamic specific lung compliance (sCL), the O2 consumption rate (V̇O2 ) and CO2 production rates (V̇CO2 ) during rest. Our results indicate that bottlenose dolphins have the capacity to generate respiratory flow rates that exceed 130 l s(-1) and 30 l s(-1) during expiration and inspiration, respectively.

Hearing threshold measurements of five stranded short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus).

On May 5, 2011, 23 short-finned pilot whales, Globicephala macrorhynchus, were stranded along the coastline near Cudjoe Key, FL. Five animals (two adult females, two juvenile females, and an adult male) were transported to a rehabilitation facility in Key Largo, FL. Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were recorded in response to amplitude modulated tone pips modulated at 1000 Hz.

Clonally related methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), human volunteers, and a bayfront cetacean rehabilitation facility.

In May of 2011, a live mass stranding of 26 short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) occurred in the lower Florida Keys. Five surviving whales were transferred from the original stranding site to a nearby marine mammal rehabilitation facility where they were constantly attended to by a team of volunteers. Bacteria cultured during the routine clinical care of the whales and necropsy of a deceased whale included methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA).

Hearing loss in stranded odontocete dolphins and whales.

The causes of dolphin and whale stranding can often be difficult to determine. Because toothed whales rely on echolocation for orientation and feeding, hearing deficits could lead to stranding. We report on the results of auditory evoked potential measurements from eight species of odontocete cetaceans that were found stranded or severely entangled in fishing gear during the period 2004 through 2009.