Comparative Aspects of Extracellular Acid-Base Balance PDF

Interest in comparative acid-base physiology has considerably grown during last decades even in the absence of major technical or conceptual advances.

This is firstly because it has become clear that the extracellular acid-base state reflects the performance of many exchange functions at the organism level: respiration and ventilation of the gas exchange surfaces, metab- olism, iono-and osmoregulation.

Such functions are much in- fluenced by ambient conditions, and the measurement of acid- base parameters thus provides useful information about the organism's responses to environmental challenges.

Secondly, many processes at the molecular level are now known to be pH- sensitive, and acid-base regulation thus appears to be a major requirement for the functional integrity of cells and organisms.

How extracellular acid-base balance can be maintained in a wide variety of animals living in different conditions is the sub- ject of this book.

The approach is comparative and environ- mental throughout.

All body fluids share similar buffer proper- ties, and common physicochemical principles apply to any acid- base system.

However, in accord with differing designs and con- straints along animal evolution, varying effector organs and mechanisms are at work to maintain an appropriate acid-base state in the organism.

Particular emphasis is placed on the fun- damental differences between water and air breathers and on the acid-base and respiratory problems arising at the transition from an aquatic to a terrestrial life.

Also the complex array of factors influencing the acid-base state in water-dwelling animals is thoroughly discussed.