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

合作研究：西貒鼻道的进化：功能解释

• 批准号: 9008178
• 负责人: Ifiyenia Kececioglu
• 金额: $ 5.33万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Chicago
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1990
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1990-09-01 至 1994-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9008178&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Evolution; Nasal; Passages

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.

棘齿目(偶脚亚目：豆腐科)是一种有蹄类动物，其鼻道具有极端的专门化。特别是，它们的鼻子包含一种复杂的充气骨骼结构，在哺乳动物中是找不到的。这些结构的功能是完全未知的。得出功能解释的一个困难是对脊椎动物呼吸系统的功能形态知之甚少。这项拟议的研究既是对隆鼻器可能功能的系统研究，也是对哺乳动物呼吸力学的一般分析。主要研究人员将通过对鼻上皮的组织学和超微结构的研究来验证这一假设，即鼻上皮与嗅觉有关。他们将通过阐明鼻腔血管的解剖结构来评估这些结构是否作为大脑降温机制的一部分发挥作用。他们将使用数学模型和实验流动装置来测试这些结构是否与与环境交换热量或水的机制有关，并研究它们是否可以用于从尘土飞扬的大气中去除颗粒。