Evolution and Functional Differentiation of the Diaphragm Muscle of Mammals

Symmorphosis is a concept of economy of biological design, whereby structural properties are matched to functional demands. According to symmorphosis, biological structures are never over designed to exceed functional demands. Based on this concept, the evolution of the diaphragm muscle (DIAm) in mammals is a tale of two structures, a membrane that separates and partitions the primitive coelomic cavity into separate abdominal and thoracic cavities and a muscle that serves as a pump to generate intra-abdominal (P_ab ) and intrathoracic (P_th ) pressures. The DIAm partition evolved in reptiles from folds of the pleural and peritoneal membranes that was driven by the biological advantage of separating organs in the larger coelomic cavity into separate thoracic and abdominal cavities, especially with the evolution of aspiration breathing. The DIAm pump evolved from the advantage afforded by more effective generation of both a negative P_th for ventilation of the lungs and a positive P_ab for venous return of blood to the heart and expulsive behaviors such as airway clearance, defecation, micturition, and child birth. © 2019 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 9:715-766, 2019.