| Hypoxic
Ventilatory and Metabolic Response |
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In addition
to decreasing metabolism and body temperature
as a general response to hypoxia, most animals
respond to hypoxia through an increase in breathing
frequency and tidal volume. This ventilatory
increase in hypoxia serves to maintain oxygen
delivery to the lungs. We examined this response
in the pygmy marmoset, the smallest simian primate.
One reason for the study was to expand the research
of the hypoxic metabolic response into animals
more closely related to humans. These small primates
inhabit lowland forests in the Amazon and at
night, crowd into hollows of trees. It is unknown
whether these hollows become hypoxic or hypercapnic,
but it is certainly conceivable.
We found that hypoxia indeed causes a reduction
in body temperature and metabolism in the pygmy
marmoset, however, surprisingly, they exhibited
a very diminished ventilatory response to hypoxia.
The reasons for this are unknown, but may be related
to an increased haemoglobin affinity. |
Publications
Tattersall, G. J., Blank, J. L and Wood, S. C. 2002. Hypoxic
ventilatory and metabolic responses of the smallest
simian primate, the pymgy marmoset. Journal
of Applied Physiology 92: 202-210. 
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