Skin protects from water loss: desert lark The skin of the desert lark protects from water loss via a ceramide-rich lipid ratio.
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"Adjustments of lipid ratios to favor ceramides over free fatty acids and sterols have also been shown to correlate with reductions of TEWL [transepidermal water loss] in desert larks (Haugen et al., 2003a,b). The comparatively higher ratios of ceramides in stratum corneum allow the lipid lamellae of the permeability barrier to exist in a more highly ordered crystalline phase, which creates a tighter barrier to water vapor diffusion (Velkova and Lafleur, 2002; Bouwstra et al., 2003b)." (Lillywhite 2006:218)
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Rights Holder: The Biomimicry Institute
