Laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina)
Effective ‘valving’ in the upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) is essential to temporarily separate the digestive and respiratory pathways. Marine mammals are largely dedicated to feeding underwater, and in many cases swallowing prey whole. In seals, little work has been done to explore the anatomy and...
Published in: | Journal of Experimental Biology |
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fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:jexbio:223/20/jeb230201 2023-05-15T16:33:36+02:00 Laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) Adams, Arlo Vogl, Wayne Dawson, Camilla Raverty, Stephen Haulena, Martin Skoretz, Stacey A. 2020-10-18 05:34:28.0 text/html http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/223/20/jeb230201 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.230201 en eng The Company of Biologists Ltd http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/223/20/jeb230201 http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.230201 Copyright (C) 2020, Company of Biologists RESEARCH ARTICLE TEXT 2020 fthighwire https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.230201 2020-11-11T19:08:46Z Effective ‘valving’ in the upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) is essential to temporarily separate the digestive and respiratory pathways. Marine mammals are largely dedicated to feeding underwater, and in many cases swallowing prey whole. In seals, little work has been done to explore the anatomy and function of the UAT in the context of valving mechanisms that function to separate food and air pathways. Here we use videofluoroscopy, gross dissection, histology and computed tomography (CT) renderings to explore the anatomy of the larynx and soft palate in the harbour seal ( Phoca vitulina ), and generate models for how valving mechanisms in the head and neck may function during breathing, phonating, diving and swallowing. Harbour seals have an elevated larynx and the epiglottis may rise above the level of the soft palate, particularly in pups when sucking. In addition, the corniculate and arytenoid cartilages with associated muscles form most of the lateral margins of the laryngeal inlet and vestibule, and move independently to facilitate airway closure. The corniculate cartilages flex over the laryngeal inlet beneath the epiglottis to completely close the laryngeal vestibule and inlet. The vocal folds are thick and muscular and the medial margin of the folds contains a small vocal ligament. The soft palate has well-defined levator veli palatini muscles that probably function to elevate the palate and close the pharyngeal isthmus during feeding. Our results support the conclusion that harbour seals have evolved UAT valving mechanisms as adaptations to a marine environment that are not seen in terrestrial carnivores. Text harbour seal Phoca vitulina HighWire Press (Stanford University) Journal of Experimental Biology |
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HighWire Press (Stanford University) |
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English |
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RESEARCH ARTICLE |
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RESEARCH ARTICLE Adams, Arlo Vogl, Wayne Dawson, Camilla Raverty, Stephen Haulena, Martin Skoretz, Stacey A. Laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) |
topic_facet |
RESEARCH ARTICLE |
description |
Effective ‘valving’ in the upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) is essential to temporarily separate the digestive and respiratory pathways. Marine mammals are largely dedicated to feeding underwater, and in many cases swallowing prey whole. In seals, little work has been done to explore the anatomy and function of the UAT in the context of valving mechanisms that function to separate food and air pathways. Here we use videofluoroscopy, gross dissection, histology and computed tomography (CT) renderings to explore the anatomy of the larynx and soft palate in the harbour seal ( Phoca vitulina ), and generate models for how valving mechanisms in the head and neck may function during breathing, phonating, diving and swallowing. Harbour seals have an elevated larynx and the epiglottis may rise above the level of the soft palate, particularly in pups when sucking. In addition, the corniculate and arytenoid cartilages with associated muscles form most of the lateral margins of the laryngeal inlet and vestibule, and move independently to facilitate airway closure. The corniculate cartilages flex over the laryngeal inlet beneath the epiglottis to completely close the laryngeal vestibule and inlet. The vocal folds are thick and muscular and the medial margin of the folds contains a small vocal ligament. The soft palate has well-defined levator veli palatini muscles that probably function to elevate the palate and close the pharyngeal isthmus during feeding. Our results support the conclusion that harbour seals have evolved UAT valving mechanisms as adaptations to a marine environment that are not seen in terrestrial carnivores. |
format |
Text |
author |
Adams, Arlo Vogl, Wayne Dawson, Camilla Raverty, Stephen Haulena, Martin Skoretz, Stacey A. |
author_facet |
Adams, Arlo Vogl, Wayne Dawson, Camilla Raverty, Stephen Haulena, Martin Skoretz, Stacey A. |
author_sort |
Adams, Arlo |
title |
Laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) |
title_short |
Laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) |
title_full |
Laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) |
title_fullStr |
Laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) |
title_sort |
laryngeal and soft palate valving in the harbour seal (phoca vitulina) |
publisher |
The Company of Biologists Ltd |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/223/20/jeb230201 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.230201 |
genre |
harbour seal Phoca vitulina |
genre_facet |
harbour seal Phoca vitulina |
op_relation |
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/223/20/jeb230201 http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.230201 |
op_rights |
Copyright (C) 2020, Company of Biologists |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.230201 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
_version_ |
1766023285791784960 |