Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Dinosaur lung structure and ventilation of the abdominal air sacs in birds

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/g158bm025

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  • The purpose of this study was to identify any ostelogical features which might prevent paradoxical movement (=lateral collapse) of the abdominal air sacs in birds during inhalation. A combination of 26 fresh and frozen adult bird carcasses representing 10 avian orders were procured from local sources. Dissections of each specimen first entailed the inflation of the respiratory system via a tracheal tube. The trachea was then sealed off to prevent deflation of the air sacs. Next, the abdominal and thoracic cavities were carefully dissected to expose the inflated air sacs. Using a set of Whitworth electronic digital calipers, a series of two measurements were taken on each carcass: 1. from the posterior sternal tip to the posterior end of the abdominal air sacs, and 2. from the posterior sternal tip to the tip of the pubic bone. Results indicated a strong correlation between the post-sternal length and position of the abdominal air sacs and the post-sternal extension of the pubic bones, such that lateral support of the abdominal air sacs was provided by the pubic bones. These data suggest that during inhalation the pubic bones probably serve to prevent the lateral collapse of these air sacs. The pubic bones of theropod dinosaurs, and even Archaeopteryx, were vertically orientated and distally fused. Therefore, it is unlikely that these taxa ventilated a set of abdominal air sacs and where unlikely to have possessed an avian lung-air sac system.
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