Bagnoli P, Peruffo A, Costantino M L, Cozzi B
Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics, Structural Engineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Ital J Anat Embryol. 2011;116(3):159-64.
The functional anatomy of the respiratory system of dolphins has been scarcely studied. Specifically, the capacity of the system to resist pressure changes during diving has not been fully understood. Here we shortly describe the upper respiratory tract of dolphins based on three common species, the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, the Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus, and the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba. We emphasize the keymorphological features that represent evolutionary adaptations to life in the water, and, furthermore, also present a model of the tracheo-bronchial tree based on mechanical characterization and subsequent computational simulation of its biomechanical behaviour. Comparisons with the goat allowed us to determine how different structures may respond to diving-related pressure.
海豚呼吸系统的功能解剖学研究甚少。具体而言，该系统在潜水过程中抵抗压力变化的能力尚未得到充分了解。在此，我们基于三种常见的海豚物种，即宽吻海豚瓶鼻海豚、里氏海豚灰海豚和条纹海豚长吻飞旋原海豚，简要描述海豚的上呼吸道。我们强调了代表对水生生活进化适应的关键形态特征，此外，还基于气管支气管树的力学特性及其生物力学行为的后续计算模拟，提出了一个气管支气管树模型。与山羊的比较使我们能够确定不同结构对与潜水相关压力的反应方式。
