Diving Physiology of Marine Mammals and Seabirds [Hardcover]

An up-to-date synthesis of comparative diving physiology research, illustrating the features of dive performance and its biomedical and ecological relevance.Analysing the diving behaviour of seabirds and marine mammals, this book reviews seventy-five years of literature in the field, with an emphasis on the relevance to human diving and medicine. An important resource for students and researchers, this text will stimulate further research into the behaviour and physiology of diving.Analysing the diving behaviour of seabirds and marine mammals, this book reviews seventy-five years of literature in the field, with an emphasis on the relevance to human diving and medicine. An important resource for students and researchers, this text will stimulate further research into the behaviour and physiology of diving.Analysing the physiological adaptations of marine mammals and seabirds, this book provides a comprehensive overview of what allows these species to overcome the challenges of diving to depth on a single breath of air. Through comparative reviews of texts on diving physiology and behaviour from the last seventy-five years, Ponganis combines this research into one succinct volume. Investigating the diving performance of marine mammals and seabirds, this book illustrates how physiological processes to extreme hypoxia and pressure are relevant to the advancement of our understanding of basic cellular processes and human pathologies. This book underscores the biomedical and ecological relevance of the anatomical, physiological and molecular/biophysical adaptations of these animals to enable further research in this area. An important resource for students and researchers, this text not only provides an essential overview of recent research in the field, but will stimulate further research into the behaviour and physiology of diving.Preface; 1. Diving behavior; 2. Challenges of the breath hold and the environment; 3. Respiratory gas exchange; 4. Oxygen storage and transpl³&