Evolutionary physiology of tissue oxygenation in mammals
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Institute of Integrative Biology
Abstract
Use of oxygen is one of the most fundamental prerequisites of mammalian life. Yet there is remarkable variation in the details of how they deliver it to their tissues - and there are serious gaps in our understanding of this variation. This project aims to address these unanswered questions.
Mammals show a surprisingly high variability in oxygen supply mechanisms, such as differences in blood oxygen affinity, erythrocyte volume- and ion-regulation, haemoglobin aggregation tendency, retinal and placental vascularisation patterns, and adult versus foetal haemoglobin oxygen binding properties. Some of these traits are further linked to genetic polymorphisms and are of great interest to veterinarians and comparative physiologists. Yet their underlying causes have largely remained unexplained.
The aim of this project is to analyse the distribution and trace the evolution of these traits on a time-calibrated mammalian phylogeny to increase our understanding of factors that may have shaped their current physiological diversity. Taking advantage of the recent improvements in our understanding of the evolutionary relationships of mammals and the comparative method in evolutionary biology, a number of possible factors will be assessed that may underpin the observed differences in mammalian blood and tissue oxygen supply mechanism. These factors include changes in atmospheric oxygen levels over the last 250 million years, parent-offspring conflict, evolutionary changes in metabolic rate due to altered activity life styles, scaling effects with body mass, and reduced oxygen availability in high-altitude or subterranean niches. Other traits, like altered erythrocyte ion compositions and haemoglobin aggregation tendency, may have repeatedly evolved for blood parasite defence.
Understanding selection pressures and molecular mechanisms that have shaped the diversity of mammalian oxygen supply mechanisms (from globin genes to mammalian communities) may help identifying predispositions and constraints for adapting to future environmental change, which will directly affect the dynamics of biodiversity.
Mammals show a surprisingly high variability in oxygen supply mechanisms, such as differences in blood oxygen affinity, erythrocyte volume- and ion-regulation, haemoglobin aggregation tendency, retinal and placental vascularisation patterns, and adult versus foetal haemoglobin oxygen binding properties. Some of these traits are further linked to genetic polymorphisms and are of great interest to veterinarians and comparative physiologists. Yet their underlying causes have largely remained unexplained.
The aim of this project is to analyse the distribution and trace the evolution of these traits on a time-calibrated mammalian phylogeny to increase our understanding of factors that may have shaped their current physiological diversity. Taking advantage of the recent improvements in our understanding of the evolutionary relationships of mammals and the comparative method in evolutionary biology, a number of possible factors will be assessed that may underpin the observed differences in mammalian blood and tissue oxygen supply mechanism. These factors include changes in atmospheric oxygen levels over the last 250 million years, parent-offspring conflict, evolutionary changes in metabolic rate due to altered activity life styles, scaling effects with body mass, and reduced oxygen availability in high-altitude or subterranean niches. Other traits, like altered erythrocyte ion compositions and haemoglobin aggregation tendency, may have repeatedly evolved for blood parasite defence.
Understanding selection pressures and molecular mechanisms that have shaped the diversity of mammalian oxygen supply mechanisms (from globin genes to mammalian communities) may help identifying predispositions and constraints for adapting to future environmental change, which will directly affect the dynamics of biodiversity.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Michael Berenbrink (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Kelly Ross (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE/S00713X/1 | 01/10/2019 | 30/09/2028 | |||
| 2112841 | Studentship | NE/S00713X/1 | 01/10/2018 | 31/03/2023 | Kelly Ross |