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CHANGES IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY DURING DIVING IN YOUNG HARBOR SEALS, PHOCA VITULINA |
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| Authors: | Danielle K Greaves Richard L Hughson Zbigniew Topor Jason F Schreer Jennifer M Burns Michael O Hammill |
| Institution: | Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada E-mail:;Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada;Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada;Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada;Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, U. S. A.;Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Mont-Joli, Quebec G5H 3Z4, Canada |
| Abstract: | We studied changes in the patterns of heart rate variability (HRV) that coincide with the development of diving skills in harbor seal pups, Phoca vitulina . Heart rate measurements were collected remotely. Spectral analysis of HRV revealed power within a mid-frequency band (0.1–0.3 Hz) which was prominent, especially in pups less than 10 d of age. In these younger pups, the heart rate switched cyclically between a low and a high diving heart rate every 3–10 sec. Older pups exhibited a highly controlled diving bradycardia with a lower median and a lower variance when compared to younger individuals. These results provide new insight into the maturation of the bradycardia component of the dive response in harbor seal pups. |
| Keywords: | harbor seal Phoca vitulina diving heart rate development cardiovascular function spectral analysis fast Fourier transform heart rate variability respiratory sinus arrhythmia |