Cieri, Robert L., Munns, Suzanne L., and Farmer, C.G. (2017) Computational fluid dynamics modelling of pumonary airflow in varanid lizards. In: [Presented at the 34th Annual Meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry (ANZSCPB 2017). From: ANZSCPB 2017, 1-3 December 2017, Cape Tribulation, QLD, Australia.

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Abstract

Understanding the biomechanical basis of undirectional pulmonary airflow, a condition where lung gases travel in the one direction through most of the airways and throughout the respiratory cycle, has long been of interest to scientists. Recent work has revealed a wide phylogenic distribution of this trait, beyond the confines of Aves, to include crocodilians, green goannas and monitor lizards. Advances in computational fluid dynamics, a technique where patterns of flow are simulated from prescribed boundary conditions by laws of fluid motions, provide a powerful tool to study airflow through these complex and fascinating structures. Australian monitor lizards (varanidae) are a promising group to investigate the significance of these lung traits because their adaptive radiation crosses many ecological [unreadable] with a similar body plan. Computed tomography scans of varanid species being made and segmented into a detailed computational meshes, representing the major and minor airways as has already been done for the savannah monitor, Varanus exanthematicus. Flow patterns are simulated through these airways in two ways on a high performance computing cluster using dynamic and static OpenFOAM solvers and visualized using ParaView.

Item ID:	51790
Item Type:	Conference Item (Abstract / Summary)
Keywords:	lizard, lungs, respiratory, breathing, lung disease, reptile,
Funders:	National Science Foundation (NSF)
Projects and Grants:	NSF-GROW
Date Deposited:	19 Dec 2017 00:18
FoR Codes:	06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0606 Physiology > 060603 Animal Physiology Systems @ 50% 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0606 Physiology > 060604 Comparative Physiology @ 40% 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0606 Physiology > 060699 Physiology not elsewhere classified @ 10%
SEO Codes:	97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences @ 100%
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