Adaptation to Altitude-Hypoxia in Vertebrates

Adaptation to altitude hypoxia is characterized by a variety offunctional changes which collectively facilitate oxygen trans­ port from the ambient medium to the cells of the body. All of these changes can be seen at one time or another in the course of hypoxic exposure. Yet, as already stressed (Hannon and Vogel, 1977), an examination of the literature gives only a sketchy and often conflicting picture of the exact nature of these changes and how they interact as a function of exposure dur...