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blish nder- Ffen's bso- ggest ever what

blish nder- Ffen's bso- ggest ever what

Human Anatomy & Physiology (11th Edition)
Human Anatomy & Physiology (11th Edition)
11th Edition
ISBN:9780134580999
Author:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. Hoehn
Publisher:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. Hoehn
Chapter1: The Human Body: An Orientation
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1RQ: The correct sequence of levels forming the structural hierarchy is A. (a) organ, organ system,...
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Refer back to Chapter 4 of your textbook, in the second paragraph in the section on mammals. Establish your clear understanding of Rechtschaffen’s statement, “If sleep does not serve an absolutely vital function then it is the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made.” In your own words, explain what he meant.

Please write 100-300 words. Remember not to plagiarize. There are no wrong answers so you do not need to check with me to find out if you are correct. I want to know your understanding of his statement.

 

Figure 4.9 Bat how can we resist the question, "Why is sleep so vital?" Let's further investigate animal sleep and get some answers. Although they live and sleep in the water, whales, seals, and dolphins are mammals and so must breathe in the air. If they fell fully asleep underwater, they would drown, so like some birds, only half of their brain sleeps at a time. When one hemisphere is sleeping, the other hemisphere guides the animal to the surface and activates the body to take a breath. The visual sys- tem of the awake hemisphere is vigilant for danger and stays connected to other animals in its group, such as companions or offspring. These elaborate evolutionary adaptations suggest that sleep must provide a crucial function, since sleep does not make it to the bargaining table when evolutionary pressure looks for behaviors to remove. At first Figure 4.10 Sea otters Animals: Mammals 67 Ready to Move On? Before moving on, establish that you have a clear under- standing of Rechtschaffen's statement, "If sleep does not serve an abso- lutely vital function, then it is the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made." In your own words, explain what he meant. blush, it seems it would be easier to evolve to not sleep than to evolve the mechanisms necessary to sleep while swimming. In other words, sleep is indispensable! Getting back to unihemispheric sleep in aquatic mammals, there are exceptions: seals have bihemi- spheric sleep underwater (they hold their breath) and sperm whales sleep with both hemispheres too, seemingly dangling in the water, tail down, until they awaken to swim to the surface to take a breath (figure 4.11). Dolphins and some whales do not show obvi- ous signs of REM sleep, but scientists speculate that they may experience transient REM sleep or REM brain activity in deeper structures than the cortex. This motivation to not rule out dolphin and whale REM sleep is partially due to observed mus- cle twitching, penile erections, and eyelid move- ments during dolphin sleep. These behaviors are associated with REM sleep in land mammals but also occur during waking states, so REM sleep in dolphins remains an area of active research. Dol- phins are so highly evolved that maybe we will see they have a unique form for REM that provides additional survival benefits beyond those given to us humans during REM sleep. Fur seals do clearly have REM sleep, but they add a unique variation to its predictability. On land, the fur seal sleeps with both hemispheres at once and goes through REM and NREM stages, similar to most mammals (figure 4.12). However, when a fur seal sleeps in the water, its sleep is similar to
Transcribed Image Text:Figure 4.9 Bat how can we resist the question, "Why is sleep so vital?" Let's further investigate animal sleep and get some answers. Although they live and sleep in the water, whales, seals, and dolphins are mammals and so must breathe in the air. If they fell fully asleep underwater, they would drown, so like some birds, only half of their brain sleeps at a time. When one hemisphere is sleeping, the other hemisphere guides the animal to the surface and activates the body to take a breath. The visual sys- tem of the awake hemisphere is vigilant for danger and stays connected to other animals in its group, such as companions or offspring. These elaborate evolutionary adaptations suggest that sleep must provide a crucial function, since sleep does not make it to the bargaining table when evolutionary pressure looks for behaviors to remove. At first Figure 4.10 Sea otters Animals: Mammals 67 Ready to Move On? Before moving on, establish that you have a clear under- standing of Rechtschaffen's statement, "If sleep does not serve an abso- lutely vital function, then it is the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made." In your own words, explain what he meant. blush, it seems it would be easier to evolve to not sleep than to evolve the mechanisms necessary to sleep while swimming. In other words, sleep is indispensable! Getting back to unihemispheric sleep in aquatic mammals, there are exceptions: seals have bihemi- spheric sleep underwater (they hold their breath) and sperm whales sleep with both hemispheres too, seemingly dangling in the water, tail down, until they awaken to swim to the surface to take a breath (figure 4.11). Dolphins and some whales do not show obvi- ous signs of REM sleep, but scientists speculate that they may experience transient REM sleep or REM brain activity in deeper structures than the cortex. This motivation to not rule out dolphin and whale REM sleep is partially due to observed mus- cle twitching, penile erections, and eyelid move- ments during dolphin sleep. These behaviors are associated with REM sleep in land mammals but also occur during waking states, so REM sleep in dolphins remains an area of active research. Dol- phins are so highly evolved that maybe we will see they have a unique form for REM that provides additional survival benefits beyond those given to us humans during REM sleep. Fur seals do clearly have REM sleep, but they add a unique variation to its predictability. On land, the fur seal sleeps with both hemispheres at once and goes through REM and NREM stages, similar to most mammals (figure 4.12). However, when a fur seal sleeps in the water, its sleep is similar to
ccccccc 'Olelo Hawai'i (Language of Hawai'i) 'Iwa is Hawaiian for "frigate bird" (figure 4.7). can stay awake for two weeks at a time during its migratory period and apparently not suffer the usual deleterious consequences of sleep depriva- tion. During these phases, the bird also remains capable of proficiently responding to stimuli. The US military, with its history of pressuring troops to use various forms of stimulants such as amphet- amines (with deadly consequences), is highly motivated to determine a way to keep people such as pilots awake for long stretches at a time without not compromising their judgment or damaging their health. At this point, the science suggests it is not possible. Let's hope for the sake of the troops, their families, and the world community that there are also researchers actively investigating revolu- tionary and innovative solutions to minimize the need to put people in harm's way. Mammals Imagine swimming through the ocean with half of your brain asleep, or catching z's while dan- gling like a ripe mango from a tree (figures 4.8 and 4.9). The unihemispheric sleep of dolphins allows them to swim and communicate-during sleep-with other dolphins. Up in the trees, bats, with their unique wing structure, are unable to create the rapid vertical takeoff mastered by birds. The best way for a sleeping bat to escape a hungry raccoon lumbering toward its roost is for the bat to drop from the tree and take flight midair. In the sea, dozens of sea otters come together and wrap themselves in seaweed, creating a sea otter raft for safety in numbers and to keep from drifting * E. Mignot, "Why We Sleep: The Temporal Organization of Recovery," PLoS Biology 6, no. 4 (April 2008), https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060106. Figure 4.7 Frigate bird away while snoozing. Occasionally, they even hold hands (figure 4.10). In open grassy areas, cows, horses, zebras, and elephants can sleep standing up, able to quickly flee if attacked. They have a "stay apparatus" that allows them to essentially lock their legs, minimizing muscular effort to remain standing. At times, these big mammals also lie down to sleep in order to complete their sleep architecture. Noticing the range of adaptations and behav- iors that make it possible for animals to sleep and survive, we see that sleep has persisted even in the face of environments where it seems it would have been simpler to just eliminate it from the mix. As Alan Rechtschaffen, a sleep science trail- blazer, has said, "If sleep does not serve an abso- lutely vital function, then it is the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made."* Then Figure 4.8 Dolphins
Transcribed Image Text:ccccccc 'Olelo Hawai'i (Language of Hawai'i) 'Iwa is Hawaiian for "frigate bird" (figure 4.7). can stay awake for two weeks at a time during its migratory period and apparently not suffer the usual deleterious consequences of sleep depriva- tion. During these phases, the bird also remains capable of proficiently responding to stimuli. The US military, with its history of pressuring troops to use various forms of stimulants such as amphet- amines (with deadly consequences), is highly motivated to determine a way to keep people such as pilots awake for long stretches at a time without not compromising their judgment or damaging their health. At this point, the science suggests it is not possible. Let's hope for the sake of the troops, their families, and the world community that there are also researchers actively investigating revolu- tionary and innovative solutions to minimize the need to put people in harm's way. Mammals Imagine swimming through the ocean with half of your brain asleep, or catching z's while dan- gling like a ripe mango from a tree (figures 4.8 and 4.9). The unihemispheric sleep of dolphins allows them to swim and communicate-during sleep-with other dolphins. Up in the trees, bats, with their unique wing structure, are unable to create the rapid vertical takeoff mastered by birds. The best way for a sleeping bat to escape a hungry raccoon lumbering toward its roost is for the bat to drop from the tree and take flight midair. In the sea, dozens of sea otters come together and wrap themselves in seaweed, creating a sea otter raft for safety in numbers and to keep from drifting * E. Mignot, "Why We Sleep: The Temporal Organization of Recovery," PLoS Biology 6, no. 4 (April 2008), https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060106. Figure 4.7 Frigate bird away while snoozing. Occasionally, they even hold hands (figure 4.10). In open grassy areas, cows, horses, zebras, and elephants can sleep standing up, able to quickly flee if attacked. They have a "stay apparatus" that allows them to essentially lock their legs, minimizing muscular effort to remain standing. At times, these big mammals also lie down to sleep in order to complete their sleep architecture. Noticing the range of adaptations and behav- iors that make it possible for animals to sleep and survive, we see that sleep has persisted even in the face of environments where it seems it would have been simpler to just eliminate it from the mix. As Alan Rechtschaffen, a sleep science trail- blazer, has said, "If sleep does not serve an abso- lutely vital function, then it is the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made."* Then Figure 4.8 Dolphins
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