Appendix: The Main Problems and Methods of Evolutionary Physiology—A Lecture by Leon A. Orbeli

More than Breathing Air: Evolutionary Drivers and Physiological Implications of an Amphibious Lifestyle in Fishes

Physiology ◽

10.1152/physiol.00012.2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (5) ◽

pp. 307-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andy J. Turko ◽

Giulia S. Rossi ◽

Patricia A. Wright

Keyword(s):

Scoring System ◽

Interspecific Variation ◽

Evolutionary Physiology ◽

Air Breathing ◽

Evolutionary Origins ◽

Amphibious Fishes

Amphibious and aquatic air-breathing fishes both exchange respiratory gasses with the atmosphere, but these fishes differ in physiology, ecology, and possibly evolutionary origins. We introduce a scoring system to characterize interspecific variation in amphibiousness and use this system to highlight important unanswered questions about the evolutionary physiology of amphibious fishes.

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Physiological insight into the evolution of complex phenotypes: aerobic performance and the O2 transport pathway of vertebrates

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.210849 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 224 (16) ◽

Author(s):

Graham R. Scott ◽

Anne C. Dalziel

Keyword(s):

Aerobic Capacity ◽

Theoretical Modelling ◽

Aerobic Performance ◽

Population Divergence ◽

Evolutionary Divergence ◽

Evolutionary Physiology ◽

Transport Pathway ◽

O2 Transport ◽

O2 Extraction ◽

O2 Diffusion

ABSTRACT Evolutionary physiology strives to understand how the function and integration of physiological systems influence the way in which organisms evolve. Studies of the O2 transport pathway – the integrated physiological system that transports O2 from the environment to mitochondria – are well suited to this endeavour. We consider the mechanistic underpinnings across the O2 pathway for the evolution of aerobic capacity, focusing on studies of artificial selection and naturally selected divergence among wild populations of mammals and fish. We show that evolved changes in aerobic capacity do not require concerted changes across the O2 pathway and can arise quickly from changes in one or a subset of pathway steps. Population divergence in aerobic capacity can be associated with the evolution of plasticity in response to environmental variation or activity. In some cases, initial evolutionary divergence of aerobic capacity arose exclusively from increased capacities for O2 diffusion and/or utilization in active O2-consuming tissues (muscle), which may often constitute first steps in adaptation. However, continued selection leading to greater divergence in aerobic capacity is often associated with increased capacities for circulatory and pulmonary O2 transport. Increases in tissue O2 diffusing capacity may augment the adaptive benefit of increasing circulatory O2 transport owing to their interactive influence on tissue O2 extraction. Theoretical modelling of the O2 pathway suggests that O2 pathway steps with a disproportionately large influence over aerobic capacity have been more likely to evolve, but more work is needed to appreciate the extent to which such physiological principles can predict evolutionary outcomes.

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Evolutionary Physiology of Closely Related Taxa: Analyses of Enzyme Expression

American Zoologist ◽

10.1093/icb/39.2.389 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 389-400 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

DOUGLAS L. CRAWFORD ◽

VALERIE A. PIERCE ◽

JEFF A. SEGAL

Keyword(s):

Enzyme Expression ◽

Evolutionary Physiology

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Passive absorption of hydrophilic carbohydrate probes by the house sparrow Passer domesticus

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.204.4.723 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 204 (4) ◽

pp. 723-731 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

J.G. Chediack ◽

E. Caviedes-Vidal ◽

W.H. Karasov ◽

M. Pestchanker

Keyword(s):

House Sparrow ◽

Passer Domesticus ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Future Research ◽

Evolutionary Physiology ◽

Linear Fashion ◽

Probe Concentration ◽

Plasma Probe ◽

Log Linear

To evaluate the permeability of the intestine of the house sparrow Passer domesticus to hydrophilic compounds, we applied a pharmacokinetic technique to measure in vivo absorption of two carbohydrate probes, l-arabinose and d-mannitol. Probes were fed or injected, and blood and excreta were subsequently collected and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Following injection, plasma probe concentration decreased in a log-linear fashion, implying single-compartment, first-order kinetics. Following oral administration, plasma probe concentrations increased, reached a maximum at 10 min and then decreased in log-linear fashion. Mannitol and arabinose absorption were calculated from the areas under the post-absorption plasma curve and the respective distribution spaces and elimination constants. The amounts absorbed increased linearly with the concentration administered (range 1–1000 mmol × l(−1)), implying a passive process. The mouth-to-cloaca retention time of digesta, measured using the non-absorbable compound potassium ferrocyanide, was independent of probe concentration. On average, 69% of the oral dose of probe was absorbed and this was independent of the concentration of probe administered. This paper supports an earlier report of substantial passive glucose absorption in house sparrows and offers a method to study the extent of hydrophilic solute absorption, which has importance for future research in areas as diverse as biomedical, ecological and evolutionary physiology.

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