Biosamples and observations from Weddell Seal colonies in McMurdo Sound during the 2015-2016 Antarctic field season

The Weddell seal is a champion diving mammal - key elements of their physiological specializations to breath-hold are their ability for remarkable adjustment of their heart and blood vessel system, coordinating blood pressure and flow to specific body regions based on their metabolic requirements, and their ability to sustain periods without oxygen. The goal of this study is to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the dive response, specifically, to study a signaling pathway that coordinates local blood flow. This dataset identifies what animals were sampled and the details of what biosamples were collected to test the hypothesis that signaling modifications prevent local blood vessel changes under low oxygen conditions, thereby allowing the centrally mediated diving reflex to override local perfusion control. The metadata also details cryopreserved cells and cell lines that can be used to study the molecular effects of low oxygen conditions in the laboratory