Jean-Paul Truchot – författare

This volume is one of those published from the proceedings of the invited lectures to the First International Congress of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry I organized at LI~e (Belgium) in August 1984 under the auspices of the Section of Comparative of the International Union of Biological Sciences. In a Physiology and Biochemistry general foreword to these different volumes, it seems to me appropriate to consider briefly what may be the comparative approach. Living organisms, beyond the diversity of their morphological forms, have evolved a widespread range of basic solutions to cope with the different problems, both organisma! and environmental, with which they are faced. Soon after the turn of the century, some biologists realized that these solutions can be best comprehended In the framework of a comparative approach integrating results of phYSiological and biochemical studies done at the organismic, cellular and molecular levels. The development of this approach amongst both physiologists and biochemists remained, however, extremely slow until recently.

This volume is one of those published from the proceedings of the invited lectures to the First International Congress of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry I organized at LI~e (Belgium) in August 1984 under the auspices of the Section of Comparative of the International Union of Biological Sciences. In a Physiology and Biochemistry general foreword to these different volumes, it seems to me appropriate to consider briefly what may be the comparative approach. Living organisms, beyond the diversity of their morphological forms, have evolved a widespread range of basic solutions to cope with the different problems, both organisma! and environmental, with which they are faced. Soon after the turn of the century, some biologists realized that these solutions can be best comprehended In the framework of a comparative approach integrating results of phYSiological and biochemical studies done at the organismic, cellular and molecular levels. The development of this approach amongst both physiologists and biochemists remained, however, extremely slow until recently.

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.