Note: Intro -- The Physiology of Dolphins -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Contributors -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 1: Studying dolphin physiology -- The bottlenose dolphin -- Studies of stranded animals -- Studies of animals under human care -- Field studies of wild animals -- Animal-attached instrumentation -- Anatomy and physiology -- This book -- References -- Chapter 2: Energetic costs of rest and locomotion in dolphins -- Introduction -- Resting metabolic rate: An energetic baseline for aquatic living -- Predicting resting metabolic rate of dolphins and other mammals -- Resting metabolic rate of dolphins and other marine mammals -- Special consideration of RMR in large whales -- Energetic costs of swimming and diving -- Relationships between hydrodynamics, speed, and energetics -- The high cost of speed -- Cost of transport -- Conservation of energy through drafting, gliding, and leaping -- Energetic limits: Aerobic scope and VO2max -- Predicting free-ranging locomotory costs -- Accelerometry and energetics in the wild -- Field metabolic rates -- Concluding remarks -- References -- Chapter 3: Thermoregulation -- Introduction -- Avenues of heat transfer -- Thermal adaptations span morphology, physiology, and behavior -- The role of size and morphology -- Bergmann's and Allen's rules -- Appendages as thermal windows: Where morphology and physiology meet -- Thermal effects of exercise and diving -- Blubber structure and its thermoregulatory function -- Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting blubber -- Blubber's dynamic role in thermoregulation -- Thermoregulatory considerations for epidermal growth and repair -- Energetic tradeoffs with thermoregulation -- Concluding remarks -- References -- Chapter 4: Muscles and movement -- Introduction -- Streamlining -- Fusiform body design -- Control surfaces -- Propulsive fluke design. , Fluke internal structure -- Propulsive muscles and tendons -- Speed -- Hydrodynamics -- Drag -- Drag reduction mechanisms -- Swimming kinematics -- Up/downstroke -- Thrust generation -- Control of pitch angle -- Propulsive efficiency -- Flexibility and spring-like effects -- Scaling -- Behavioral strategies for energy economy -- Submerged swimming -- Porpoising -- Gliding -- Bow riding -- Wave riding -- Drafting -- Maneuverability -- References -- Chapter 5: Cardiovascular physiology in dolphins and other cetaceans -- Cardiovascular anatomy and function -- Heart-Anatomy -- Heart size -- Hemodynamics: Cardiac output and stroke volume -- Hemodynamics: Heart function and blood pressure -- The vasculature -- Aorta -- Retia mirabilia -- Venous plexuses and epidural veins -- Posterior vena caval hemodynamics during fluking -- Cardiovascular function during diving -- The dive response -- Early studies of heart rates in small- and medium-sized cetaceans -- Heart rate profiles during diving -- Heart rate profiles during postdive intervals and during high-speed surface travel -- Heart rate and oxygen store management -- Blood O2 transport -- Hemoglobin concentration -- O2-Hb dissociation curves -- Summary -- References -- Chapter 6: Respiratory physiology in the dolphin and other whales -- Introduction -- Function of the respiratory system -- Volumes of the respiratory system -- Respiratory mechanics -- Anatomy and structure -- Air flow pathway and branching pattern -- The lung -- Larynx and trachea -- Bronchial airways -- Alveolar structures -- Functional studies in dead animals -- Excised tissue -- Cadavers -- Functional studies in live animals -- Lung function testing in live cetaceans -- Minimum air volume, residual volume, and total lung capacity -- Respiratory flow -- The lungs and pressure -- Lung function testing and respiratory health. , Future possibilities -- References -- Chapter 7: Diving physiology in dolphins and human -- Introduction to diving physiology -- A dolphin perspective -- A human perspective -- The dive response -- Overview -- Facial receptors and cardiovascular responses -- Blood pressure -- Splenic contraction -- Comparative perspectives of the diving response -- Cognitive control over bradycardia -- Hypoxia and acid-base disturbance -- Blood gases in humans -- Blood gases in dolphins -- Involuntary breathing movements -- Loss of consciousness: Hypoxic syncope or shallow-water blackout -- Pressure effects -- Risk of pulmonary barotrauma -- Risk of nitrogen narcosis -- Risk of decompression sickness -- Other considerations to minimize metabolic rate -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 8: Genetic and molecular adaptations -- Introduction -- From genotype to phenotype -- DNA-level mechanisms -- Gene gain/loss -- Gene mutations -- Gene regulatory networks -- RNA-level mechanisms -- Protein-level mechanisms -- Adaptations to the marine environment -- Unique molecular features of marine mammals -- Thermoregulation -- Locomotion -- Sensory -- Diving -- Future directions -- Leveraging natural experiments -- Functional studies: Physiology meets genomics -- References -- Chapter 9: Neurophysiology -- Histology -- Cell types, their shape, and dimensions -- Neural density -- Shape and volume of the brain -- Shape of the brain -- Brain mass -- The encephalization quotient and comparison with other mammals -- The cerebral cortex of whales and dolphins -- The corpus callosum, cerebral ventricles, and blood-brain barrier -- Organization of the cetacean cortical column and analogies with other mammals -- Projections from the thalamus and different organization of the cortical column -- Cerebral topography -- The cerebellum, the brainstem, and the spinal cord. , Relevant differences with terrestrial mammals -- The spinal cord -- Motor systems -- Motor cortex and control of body movement -- Prevalence of the extrapyramidal system -- Blood supply -- The internal carotid system -- The spinal and thoracic retia mirabilia -- Vascular shunts and the theory of the half-brain -- Functional organization of the cetacean central nervous system -- Limits to research -- Anatomical techniques -- Studies based on anatomical dissections, serial sections, and tracing -- Role of magnetic resonance imaging studies -- Studies based on diffusion tensor imaging -- The role of cranial nerves -- Physiological techniques -- Studies based on electrophysiology -- Electroencephalogram and related techniques -- fNIRS studies -- Modern studies based on behavioral experiments -- The diving brain -- The central nervous system and diving -- The effects of pressure on the brain -- Decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, and oxygen toxicity -- Thermoregulation and the development of the cetacean brain -- The unknowns of the cetacean nervous system -- The development of the cetacean brain -- The question of body size -- Opinionated studies -- Chemoreception: Olfaction -- Perception of environmental pressure and deep diving -- Neuro-hormonal control of circadian and circannual rhythmicity -- The organization of the five (or four or even three) layered cortex -- The question of the magnetic sense -- Differential vascularization of selected brain areas -- Brain metabolism and the long and deep dives -- Delphinid language -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 10: Sensory physiology in delphinids -- Introduction -- Vision -- Specifics of the eye globe, its position, and mobility -- The dioptric apparatus and the iris -- The retina and visual function -- Mechanoreception -- Hearing -- Auditory anatomy -- Hearing abilities. , Automatic gain control -- Noise impacts -- Touch and hydrodynamics -- Electroreception -- Chemosensation -- Olfaction -- Gustation -- Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 11: Kidneys and osmoregulation -- Introduction -- Kidney structure -- Urine concentration and kidney function -- Do dolphins drink salt water? -- Feeding and fasting studies -- Loading experiments -- Renal endocrinology of dolphins -- Renal pathologies and toxicology -- Summary -- References -- Chapter 12: Reproductive physiology of dolphins -- Introduction -- Onset of sexual maturation -- Reproductive cycles -- Gestation and lactation -- Reproductive anomalies and abnormalities -- Pseudopregnancy -- Spontaneous abortions, dystocia, perinatal loss, and failure to thrive -- Contraception and assisted reproductive technologies -- Contraception -- Assisted reproductive technologies -- External impacts on reproduction -- Ex-situ conservation applications -- References -- Chapter 13: Immunology -- Introduction to immunology -- Recent progress in cetacean immunology -- Anatomy and histology of immune organs -- Innate immunity -- Innate immune cells -- Cell activation -- Phagocytosis -- Respiratory burst -- Natural killer cell activity -- Acquired immunity -- Immune cells and their subsets -- Cytokines -- Lymphocyte activation and proliferation -- Humoral immune response -- Cellular immune response -- Inflammation -- Other tools -- Immunology and stress -- The connection between the nervous and immune systems -- Stressors and marine mammals -- Studies of the nervous and immune systems in cetaceans under professional human care -- Capture-release studies of cetaceans -- Cetacean strandings -- Monitoring stress and the immune system in free-ranging cetaceans -- Immunology and diving physiology -- Pressure -- Temperature -- Hypoxia/reperfusion -- Mammalian dive response. , Cellular adaptations to diving in marine mammals.