Abstract
Many high-altitude vertebrates have evolved increased capacities in their oxygen transport cascade (ventilation, pulmonary diffusion, circulation and tissue diffusion), enhancing oxygen transfer from the atmosphere to mitochondria. However, the extent of interspecies variation in the control processes that dictate hypoxia responses remains largely unknown. We compared the metabolic, cardiovascular and respiratory responsesto progressive decreasesininspired oxygen levels of bar-headed geese (Anser indicus), birds that biannually migrate across the Himalayan mountains, with those of Andean geese (Chloephaga melanoptera) and crested ducks (Lophonetta specularioides), lifelong residents of the high Andes. We show that Andean geese and crested ducks have evolved fundamentally different mechanisms for maintaining oxygen supply during low oxygen (hypoxia) from those of bar-headed geese. Bar-headed geese respond to hypoxia with robust increases in ventilation and heart rate, whereas Andean species increase lung oxygen extraction and cardiac stroke volume. We propose that transient high-altitude performance has favoured the evolution of robust convective oxygen transport recruitment in hypoxia, whereas life-long high-altitude residency has favoured the evolution of structural enhancements to the lungs and heart that increase lung diffusion and stroke volume.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 4186-4194 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Experimental Biology |
| Volume | 220 |
| Issue number | 22 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 15 2017 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Altitude
- Cardiac output
- Duck
- Goose
- Metabolism
- Ventilation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Physiology
- Aquatic Science
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Molecular Biology
- Insect Science
Cite this
Divergent respiratory and cardiovascular responses to hypoxia in bar-headed geese and Andean birds. / Lague, Sabine L.; Chua, Beverly; Alza, Luis; Scott, Graham R.; Frappell, Peter B.; Zhong, Yang; Farrell, Anthony P.; McCracken, Kevin; Wang, Yuxiang; Milsom, William K.
In: Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol. 220, No. 22, 15.11.2017, p. 4186-4194.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Divergent respiratory and cardiovascular responses to hypoxia in bar-headed geese and Andean birds
AU - Lague, Sabine L.
AU - Chua, Beverly
AU - Alza, Luis
AU - Scott, Graham R.
AU - Frappell, Peter B.
AU - Zhong, Yang
AU - Farrell, Anthony P.
AU - McCracken, Kevin
AU - Wang, Yuxiang
AU - Milsom, William K.
PY - 2017/11/15
Y1 - 2017/11/15
N2 - Many high-altitude vertebrates have evolved increased capacities in their oxygen transport cascade (ventilation, pulmonary diffusion, circulation and tissue diffusion), enhancing oxygen transfer from the atmosphere to mitochondria. However, the extent of interspecies variation in the control processes that dictate hypoxia responses remains largely unknown. We compared the metabolic, cardiovascular and respiratory responsesto progressive decreasesininspired oxygen levels of bar-headed geese (Anser indicus), birds that biannually migrate across the Himalayan mountains, with those of Andean geese (Chloephaga melanoptera) and crested ducks (Lophonetta specularioides), lifelong residents of the high Andes. We show that Andean geese and crested ducks have evolved fundamentally different mechanisms for maintaining oxygen supply during low oxygen (hypoxia) from those of bar-headed geese. Bar-headed geese respond to hypoxia with robust increases in ventilation and heart rate, whereas Andean species increase lung oxygen extraction and cardiac stroke volume. We propose that transient high-altitude performance has favoured the evolution of robust convective oxygen transport recruitment in hypoxia, whereas life-long high-altitude residency has favoured the evolution of structural enhancements to the lungs and heart that increase lung diffusion and stroke volume.
AB - Many high-altitude vertebrates have evolved increased capacities in their oxygen transport cascade (ventilation, pulmonary diffusion, circulation and tissue diffusion), enhancing oxygen transfer from the atmosphere to mitochondria. However, the extent of interspecies variation in the control processes that dictate hypoxia responses remains largely unknown. We compared the metabolic, cardiovascular and respiratory responsesto progressive decreasesininspired oxygen levels of bar-headed geese (Anser indicus), birds that biannually migrate across the Himalayan mountains, with those of Andean geese (Chloephaga melanoptera) and crested ducks (Lophonetta specularioides), lifelong residents of the high Andes. We show that Andean geese and crested ducks have evolved fundamentally different mechanisms for maintaining oxygen supply during low oxygen (hypoxia) from those of bar-headed geese. Bar-headed geese respond to hypoxia with robust increases in ventilation and heart rate, whereas Andean species increase lung oxygen extraction and cardiac stroke volume. We propose that transient high-altitude performance has favoured the evolution of robust convective oxygen transport recruitment in hypoxia, whereas life-long high-altitude residency has favoured the evolution of structural enhancements to the lungs and heart that increase lung diffusion and stroke volume.
KW - Altitude
KW - Cardiac output
KW - Duck
KW - Goose
KW - Metabolism
KW - Ventilation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034020288&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85034020288&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1242/jeb.168799
DO - 10.1242/jeb.168799
M3 - Article
C2 - 29141880
AN - SCOPUS:85034020288
VL - 220
SP - 4186
EP - 4194
JO - Journal of Experimental Biology
JF - Journal of Experimental Biology
SN - 0022-0949
IS - 22
ER -