Respiration in Aves (Birds)
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How are dinosaurs and avians related?
Avian methods of breathing may have stemmed from the need to survive in low oxygen levels millions of years ago, when dinosaurs still lived. Some dinosaurs developed lungs with thin air sacs to pump air through the body. These dinosaurs were better fit than others and may have evolved into the modern bird that is able to fly at high altitudes within thin air.
Scientists have discovered that modern birds descend from two-legged dinosaurs known as theropods. The link between the two is a species known as the archaeopteryx, which was a small dinosaur with feathers, wings, and a tail. Over time, individuals with these traits probably had a greater fitness and were able to produce more viable offspring to pass on the characteristics of a bird (3). |
(1) Foster, and Smith. "How the Respiratory System of Birds Works." How the Respiratory System of Birds Works. Petco Wellness, 2016. Web. 15 June 2016.
(2) "Respiration." Respiration. Fernbank Science Center, n.d. Web. 15 June 2016.
(3) Singer, Emily, and Quanta Magazine. "How Dinosaurs Shrank and Became Birds." Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2016.
(2) "Respiration." Respiration. Fernbank Science Center, n.d. Web. 15 June 2016.
(3) Singer, Emily, and Quanta Magazine. "How Dinosaurs Shrank and Became Birds." Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2016.