DEVELOPMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY OF ELEPHANT SEAL PUPS DURING NATURAL, PROLONGED FASTS

北方黄雀全年陆栖繁殖和蜕皮行为 象海豹及其非凡的潜水行为被广泛地 被认为是一个特殊的机会， 这些不寻常的能力背后的生理和生化事件 在自然条件下的自由生活的哺乳动物。 那些不太一般 这种一年一度的“两栖”现象的特点是， 除了哺乳期的幼崽，所有个体完全禁食1-3个月 在陆地上。 此外，在海上，所有的海象都会潜水 持续3至7个月，花费超过90%的时间 平均水深400米，有时超过1000米。 在过去20年中进行的研究，由MBRS赞助，其他 HIH，NSF和其他机构的研究所，提供了丰富的 基本的生物学和医学相关数据。 特别 重要的是要了解一些机制， 象海豹在这些自然环境中维持生理平衡 禁食与其他疾病中观察到的严重病理形成鲜明对比， 包括人类在内的哺乳动物由于饥饿或早期 儿童营养不良或饥饿，今天达到全球，流行病 比例以及临床相关病症如糖尿病， 肾脏疾病、严重烧伤和HPNS高压神经综合征。

The annual land-based reproductive and molting behavior of the Northern elephant seal as well as its exceptional diving behavior are widely recognized as an exceptional opportunity for the study of the physiological and biochemical events underlying these unusual abilities in a free-living mammal under natural conditions. Among the more unusual features of this annual 'amphibious' phenomenon is that with the exception of nursing pups all individuals fast entirely for 1-3 months while on land. In addition, while at sea all elephant seals dive continuously for from 3 to 7 months spending more than 90% of the time underwater at depths averaging 400m and occasionally in excess of 1000m. The research conducted over the last 20 years, sponsored by MBRS, other institutes of the HIH, NSF and other agencies, has provided a wealth of basic biological as well as medically relevant data. Of particular importance is an appreciation of some of the mechanisms which allow elephant seals to maintain physiological homeostasis during these natural fasts in stark contrast to the severe pathologies observed in other mammals including humans as a consequence of starvation or early childhood malnutrition or starvation which today reached global, epidemic proportion as well as clinically related conditions such as diabetes, kidney disorders, severe burns, and HPNS High Pressure Nervous Syndrome.