Animal Biology

Respiration Group

Convenor: Michael Berenbrink, The University of Liverpool

BarheadGoose. Mole. Seal.

The field of Respiration Physiology studies organisms as a system of gas exchange that spans from the use of oxygen  and  provision of energy in the mitochondria  and the cellular production of carbon dioxide, to the diffusive and convective  transfer of these respiratory gases through  multiple structures and compartments between organelles and the environment,  water or air. Respiratory Physiologists are involved in detailed mechanistic studies  of respiration at all levels of biological organisation, as well as in integrating  these findings into a holistic picture of how animals function in their environment. Respiration Physiology  greatly benefits from the comparative approach, where variations in respiratory mechanisms employed by animals in  different, often challenging environments , or with different lifestyles are used to elucidate fundamental principles of respiratory function.  Thus studies  ranging from  diving insects to air-breathing  lungfishes to oxygen-depositing deep sea fishes , from hibernating frogs to running lizards and digesting snakes, and from high-flying  birds to burrowing moles to deep-diving  seals have greatly increased our knowledge about the capacities, and limits, of respiratory mechanisms across animals, a key factor for assessing consequences of past and future changes in respiratory environments.

Contact Details
Dr Michael Berenbrink
Institute of Integrative  Biology
The University of Liverpool
Crown Street
Liverpool L69 7ZB
UK
Ph: +44 151 795 4511
Email: michaelb@liv.ac.uk