Postnatal development of cartilage in the terminal airways in Otaria flavescens (Mammalia: Pinnipedia)
The presence of cartilage reinforcements in the terminal bronchioles of all marine mammals has been known since the beginning of this century ; however, their functional significance remains largely speculative. A light microscope and a digital image analysis study of the postnatal cartilage in the...
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| Autores principales: | , |
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| Formato: | JOUR |
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00251461_v62_n4_p577_Crespo |
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| Sumario: | The presence of cartilage reinforcements in the terminal bronchioles of all marine mammals has been known since the beginning of this century ; however, their functional significance remains largely speculative. A light microscope and a digital image analysis study of the postnatal cartilage in the terminal airways in Otaria flavescens showed that the development of cartilage blocks remains arrested during the first month of life, until the start of aquatic activities. Studies on field behaviour performed during two breeding seasons, revealed that during their first month of life, O. flavescens pups displayed scarce aquatic activity. This suggests a correlation between the development of cartilage reinforcements and an increase of diving duration and depth. |
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