Pulmonary anatomy in the Nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in Archosauria
The lungs of birds have long been known to move air in only one direction during both inspiration and expiration through most of the tubular gas-exchanging bronchi (parabronchi). Recently a similar pattern of airflow has been observed in American alligators, a sister taxon to birds. The pattern of f...
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PeerJ Inc.
2013-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/60.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797418872188436480 |
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| author | Emma R. Schachner John R. Hutchinson CG Farmer |
| author_facet | Emma R. Schachner John R. Hutchinson CG Farmer |
| author_sort | Emma R. Schachner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The lungs of birds have long been known to move air in only one direction during both inspiration and expiration through most of the tubular gas-exchanging bronchi (parabronchi). Recently a similar pattern of airflow has been observed in American alligators, a sister taxon to birds. The pattern of flow appears to be due to the arrangement of the primary and secondary bronchi, which, via their branching angles, generate inspiratory and expiratory aerodynamic valves. Both the anatomical similarity of the avian and alligator lung and the similarity in the patterns of airflow raise the possibility that these features are plesiomorphic for Archosauria and therefore did not evolve in response to selection for flapping flight or an endothermic metabolism, as has been generally assumed. To further test the hypothesis that unidirectional airflow is ancestral for Archosauria, we measured airflow in the lungs of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). As in birds and alligators, air flows cranially to caudally in the cervical ventral bronchus, and caudally to cranially in the dorsobronchi in the lungs of Nile crocodiles. We also visualized the gross anatomy of the primary, secondary and tertiary pulmonary bronchi of C. niloticus using computed tomography (CT) and microCT. The cervical ventral bronchus, cranial dorsobronchi and cranial medial bronchi display similar characteristics to their proposed homologues in the alligator, while there is considerable variation in the tertiary and caudal group bronchi. Our data indicate that the aspects of the crocodilian bronchial tree that maintain the aerodynamic valves and thus generate unidirectional airflow, are ancestral for Archosauria. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:40:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6cb2ad566058468790ce8d252fed54a3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:40:15Z |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-6cb2ad566058468790ce8d252fed54a32023-12-03T10:51:55ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592013-03-011e6010.7717/peerj.6060Pulmonary anatomy in the Nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in ArchosauriaEmma R. Schachner0John R. Hutchinson1CG Farmer2Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USAStructure & Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United KingdomDepartment of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USAThe lungs of birds have long been known to move air in only one direction during both inspiration and expiration through most of the tubular gas-exchanging bronchi (parabronchi). Recently a similar pattern of airflow has been observed in American alligators, a sister taxon to birds. The pattern of flow appears to be due to the arrangement of the primary and secondary bronchi, which, via their branching angles, generate inspiratory and expiratory aerodynamic valves. Both the anatomical similarity of the avian and alligator lung and the similarity in the patterns of airflow raise the possibility that these features are plesiomorphic for Archosauria and therefore did not evolve in response to selection for flapping flight or an endothermic metabolism, as has been generally assumed. To further test the hypothesis that unidirectional airflow is ancestral for Archosauria, we measured airflow in the lungs of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). As in birds and alligators, air flows cranially to caudally in the cervical ventral bronchus, and caudally to cranially in the dorsobronchi in the lungs of Nile crocodiles. We also visualized the gross anatomy of the primary, secondary and tertiary pulmonary bronchi of C. niloticus using computed tomography (CT) and microCT. The cervical ventral bronchus, cranial dorsobronchi and cranial medial bronchi display similar characteristics to their proposed homologues in the alligator, while there is considerable variation in the tertiary and caudal group bronchi. Our data indicate that the aspects of the crocodilian bronchial tree that maintain the aerodynamic valves and thus generate unidirectional airflow, are ancestral for Archosauria.https://peerj.com/articles/60.pdfLungRespirationAnatomyEvolutionPneumaticityEndothermy |
| spellingShingle | Emma R. Schachner John R. Hutchinson CG Farmer Pulmonary anatomy in the Nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in Archosauria PeerJ Lung Respiration Anatomy Evolution Pneumaticity Endothermy |
| title | Pulmonary anatomy in the Nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in Archosauria |
| title_full | Pulmonary anatomy in the Nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in Archosauria |
| title_fullStr | Pulmonary anatomy in the Nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in Archosauria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pulmonary anatomy in the Nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in Archosauria |
| title_short | Pulmonary anatomy in the Nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in Archosauria |
| title_sort | pulmonary anatomy in the nile crocodile and the evolution of unidirectional airflow in archosauria |
| topic | Lung Respiration Anatomy Evolution Pneumaticity Endothermy |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/60.pdf |
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