Chapter 3: histology changes in pup grey seal blubber during adipose tissue expansion and contraction

Seals accumulate large amount of fat in the subcutaneous adipose tissue, which undergoes massive changes during their breeding season. As blubber pO2 is associated with fatness, this study aims to describe how blubber structure changes during the characteristic blubber expansion and contraction throughout depth that occur in pup grey seal during the breeding season; and aims to investigate if the tissue is susceptible to hypoxia based on cell size and vascularity.

The data were collected as part of the PhD project "Characterising fat tissue structure and function in response to hypoxia in grey seals, an animal model of extreme fat deposition and mobilisation, using novel in vivo and in vitro approaches".