Collaborative Research: Evolution of Nasal Passages in Peccaries: Functional Interpretation

野猪（偶蹄目：Tayassuidae）是一个家庭， 有蹄类动物的鼻道非常特殊。 在 特别是，它们的鼻子里有一个复杂的膨胀的骨质 在哺乳动物中找不到的结构。 的功能 这些结构是完全未知的。 的一个困难 得出一个功能性的解释是， 脊椎动物呼吸系统的功能形态 系统 这项研究既是一项系统的调查， 野猪鼻器的可能功能和一般 哺乳动物呼吸力学分析。 校长 调查人员将检验野猪 结构参与嗅觉的组织学和 鼻上皮超微结构观察。 他们将评估 这些结构是否是大脑冷却的一部分 通过阐明鼻血管的解剖结构来阐明其机制。 他们将使用数学模型和实验流程 装置，以测试所述结构是否与 用于与环境交换热量或水的机构，以及 同时研究它们是否可以用来去除 从充满灰尘的大气层中。

The peccaries (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae) are a family of ungulates with extreme specializations of the nasal passages. In particular, their noses contain a complex of inflated bony structures found nowhere else among the mammals. The functions of these structures are completely unknown. One difficulty in arriving at a functional interpretation is that little is known about the functional morphology of the vertebrate respiratory system. The proposed research is both a systematic investigation of possible functions of the peccary nasal apparatus and general analysis of mammalian respiratory mechanics. The principal investigators will test the hypothesis that the peccary structures are involved in olfaction by histological and ultrastructural study of the nasal epithelia. They will assess whether the structures function as part of a brain-cooling mechanism by elucidating the anatomy of the nasal vasculature. They will use mathematical modeling and an experimental flow apparatus to test whether the structures are associated with a mechanism for exchanging heat or water with the environment, and also to investigate if they could be used to remove particles from a dust-laden atmosphere.