Effect of arousal state and increased respiratory drive on cardio-respiratory variables in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi) ...

• Main Author: Skinner, Lisa Ann
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: harbour seal; Phoca vitulina
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0090689; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0090689

In this study, I examined the cardio-respiratory patterns of Pacific harbour seal pups (Phoca vitulina richardsi) under normoxic/normocarbic (air), hypoxic/normocarbic (15.22% O₂ ± 0.47 SEM, 11.99% O₂ ± 0.29 SEM, and 8.63% O₂ ± 0.22 SEM in air) and normoxic/hypercarbic (2.04% CO₂ ± 0.06 SEM, 4.16 %CO₂ ± 0.06 SEM, and 5.66% CO₂ ± 0.07 SEM in air) conditions while awake and sleeping on land. Animals were chronically instrumented to record electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG), and electrocardiogram (EKG) signals, and recordings of all variables, plus respiration (whole body plethysmography) and metabolic rate (O₂ consumption and CO₂ production), were made on each gas for two to four hours on separate days. My results show that, on air, metabolic rate was lower in sleep (7.71 ml O₂ min⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ± 0.93 SEM) than wakefulness (WAKE) (8.79 ml O₂ min⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ± 0.70 SEM), with the fall in metabolism accompanied by a decrease in breathing frequency (18.76 breaths/minute ± 0.23 SEM in WAKE to 10.70 ...