Mechanics of lung ventilation in a larval salamander Ambystoma tigrinum

The larval stage of the tiger salamander Ambystoma tigrinum is entirely aquatic, but the larvae rely on their lungs for a large proportion of their oxygen uptake. X-ray video and pressure measurements from the buccal and body cavities demonstrate that the larvae inspire using a two-stroke buccal pump and exhale actively by contracting the hypaxial musculature to increase body pressure. Larvae begin a breath by expanding the buccal cavity to draw in air through the mouth, while simultaneously exhaling air from the lungs to mix with the fresh air in the buccal cavity. The mouth then closes, and the buccal cavity compresses to pump a portion of the mixture into the lungs. The remaining air in the buccal cavity is then released as bubbles from the mouth and gill slits. Ventilatory volumes estimated from X-ray video records indicate that approximately 80% of the air pumped into the lungs is fresh air and 20% is previously expired air. Exhalation in larval tiger salamanders is active, powered by contraction of all four layers of lateral hypaxial musculature. Electromyography indicates that the transverse abdominis (TA) muscle is active for the longest duration and shows the highest-amplitude activity, but the external oblique superficialis, the external oblique profundus and the internal oblique also show consistent, low-level activity. The finding that the TA muscle is active during exhalation in larval tiger salamanders contributes to a growing body of evidence that the use of the TA for exhalation is a primitive character for tetrapods.