Sodium and Chloride Balance in the Prawn, Palaemonetes Varians

1964 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-601
Author(s):  
W. T. W. POTTS

1. The exchanges of sodium and bromide (for chloride) ions between the brackish-water prawn Palaemonetes varians and its environment are described. 2. In an isosmotic medium the exchange of sodium and chloride ions takes place by passive diffusion. 3. In full-strength sea water sodium ions are actively removed extrarenally, the potential difference produced by the active extrusion of sodium ions maintaining the chloride ions in passive equilibrium. There is some evidence of an increased flux of ions in hyperosmotic sea water associated with water-swallowing to obtain water for water balance. 4. In 2% sea water chloride ions are actively absorbed, the potential produced by this active uptake helping to maintain sodium balance; but some active sodium uptake also occurs. 5. In salinities below 2% uptake of ions declines and the animals can no longer maintain equilibrium.

1967 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. SUTCLIFFE

1. A quantitative study of sodium influx and loss rates was made on Gammarus duebeni obtained from brackish-water localities. Both influx and loss rates were immediately doubled by a rise in temperature from 10 to 20° C. 2. It is estimated that when animals are fully acclimatized to a series of media decreasing from 50 to 2% sea water the rate of sodium uptake at the body surface is doubled to balance the rate of sodium loss, which is also doubled. The increased loss rate is due equally to an increase in the rate of diffusion across the body surface and to loss in hypotonic urine containing about 160-190 mM/l. sodium. Diffusion losses normally account for at least 35% of the total losses, even when the urine is isotonic with the blood. 3. The sodium-transporting system at the body surface is fully saturated at an external concentration of about 10 mM/l. NaCl (2% sea water). The system has a low affinity for sodium ions and is only half-saturated at 1.5-2.5 mM/l. sodium. The overall rate of uptake is increased to its maximum rate to balance sodium losses when in fresh water. 4. When acclimatized to fresh water (0.25 mM/l. NaCl) the sodium loss rate is greatly reduced. This was partly due to a lower rate of diffusion across the body surface following a fall in the blood sodium concentration, and mainly due to elaboration of a very dilute urine. 5. It is suggested that increases in sodium uptake in the antennary glands, resulting in a hypotonic urine, are linked with increases in uptake at the body surface. Both uptake systems are possibly activated by a single internal regulator responding to changes in the blood concentration. 6. Sodium regulation at concentrations below 10 mM/l. NaCl was examined in G. duebeni obtained from fresh-water streams on the Lizard peninsula, the Kintyre peninsula, and the Isle of Man. The regulation of sodium uptake and loss is very similar to regulation in brackish-water animals, and the sodium-transporting system has the same low affinity for sodium ions at concentrations below about 10 mM/l. 7. It is suggested that fresh-water localities in north-west Europe, excluding Ireland, have been colonized from brackish water without any modifications in the sodium-regulatory mechanism. But the fresh-water animals tolerate very low sodium concentrations better than brackish-water animals. This is apparently due to natural selection of individuals in which the sodium uptake rate is higher than the average uptake rate in brackish-water animals.


1970 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-443
Author(s):  
C. R. FLETCHER

1. Nereis diversicolor tolerates changes in the concentration of calcium and magnesium in its coelomic fluid proportional to the concentrations in the medium between chlorosities of 100-1000 mM/kg of water. 2. In lower salinities both ions are maintained relatively constant providing that the ratios of these ions to chloride in the medium are similar to the ratios in sea water. 3. The ratio of the concentration of calcium in the coelomic fluid to the concentration in the medium is a function of the salinity of the medium but not of the calcium concentration. 4. Both calcium and magnesium are at lower electrochemical potentials in the coelomic fluid than in the medium, indicating that it is not necessary to invoke active uptake. 5. The rate of calcium influx is substantial. 6. In salinities below to mM of chloride/kg of water the urine must contain less calcium than the coelomic fluid. 7. The significance of these results is discussed.


1959 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. SHAW

1. The mechanisms of salt and water balance in the East African fresh-water crab, Potamon niloticus, have been investigated. 2. The freezing-point depression of the blood is equivalent to that of a 271 mM./l. NaCl solution. 3. The animals cannot survive in solutions more concentrated than 75% sea water. Above the normal blood concentration, the blood osmotic pressure follows that of the medium. 4. The urine is iso-osmotic with the blood and is produced at a very slow rate. The potassium content is only half that of the blood. 5. The animal loses sodium at a rate of 8 µM./10 g./hr. mainly through the body surface. Potassium loss occurs at one-sixteenth of this rate. 6. Sodium balance can be maintained at a minimum external concentration of 0.05 mM./l. Potassium requires a concentration of 0.07 mM./l. 7. Active absorption of both sodium and potassium occurs. The rate of uptake of sodium depends on the extent of previous sodium loss. The rate of sodium uptake may be affected by such environmental factors as the salt content of the water, temperature and oxygen tension. 8. The normal oxygen consumption rate is 0.72 mg./10 g./hr. A minimum of 2.3% is used in doing osmotic work to maintain salt balance. 9. The salt and water balance in Potamon is discussed in relation to the adaptation of the Crustacea to fresh water. The importance of permeability changes is stressed.


1969 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-605
Author(s):  
A. P. M. LOCKWOOD ◽  
W. R. H. ANDREWS

1. The sodium fluxes of individual Gammarus duebeni, which moulted in sea water, have been followed daily from the morning following moult for at least 6 days. 2. Sodium influx from sea water declined from 15.1µM/animal/hr. on the first morning after moult to 1.7µM/animal/hr. by the tenth day after moult. 3. Sodium influx from 10 mM/l. NaCl plus sucrose solution isotonic with sea water declines from 4.48µM/animal/hr. to 0.14µM/animal/hr. in inter-moult animals. 4. Thionine inhibits over 90% of the influx from 10 mM/l NaCl plus isotonic sucrose on the first day after moult, and this, together with other evidence, suggests that the major part of the influx from this medium is due to active sodium uptake. The rate of active uptake is comparable with, or faster than, the rate of uptake by animals acclimatized to fresh water. 5. The influx occurs primarily across the body surface. It is suggested that the high level of sodium uptake is associated with the water uptake which occurs at moult.


1981 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 301-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. FARMER ◽  
S.H. P. MADDRELL ◽  
J. H. SPRING

1. Isolated midguts of 5th-instar Rhodnius prolixus will transport fluid from the lumen that is close to iso-osmotic with the luminal contents. 2. The transported fluid contains sodium and chloride ions as its major constituents. 3. Fluid transport can be attributed to active transport of sodium ions from the lumen. The haemolymph side of the epithelium, towards which transport is directed, is at a potential positive with respect to the lumen; this potential difference is greatly increased if the lumen contains only impermeant anions, and the rate of fluid transport is strongly dependent on the concentration of sodium ions in the luminal fluid. 4. The rate of fluid transport is increased approximately six times by treatment with 5-hydroxytryptamine (2×10−7M) or cyclic AMP (2x−3M). The transepithelial potential is increased by such treatment but the major effects are on the short-circuit current, which increases by about five times, and on the electrical resistance of the epithelium, which falls to about a quarter of its earlier value. Note:


1958 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-249
Author(s):  
P. C. CROGHAN

1. Artemia is continuously swallowing its medium, whether it is hyper-, iso-, or hypotonic to the haemolymph, and taking up water from the gut lumen. 2. The osmotic pressure of the gut fluids is appreciably greater than that of the haemolymph, but in the more concentrated media is considerably below that of the medium. This indicates that considerable amounts of NaCl must be passing across the gut epithelium into the haemolymph. 3. The concentration of both sodium and chloride ions in the gut fluids is always less than that in the haemolymph, indicating that there must be an active uptake of NaCl across the gut epithelium. 4. It is considered that the gut of Artemia has become adapted as a mechanism for the active uptake of water, controlling water balance and preventing dehydration in hypertonic media. 5. The adaptations for maintaining the NaCl and the water balances in Artemia are compared to those found in the marine teleosts, and are shown to be extremely similar.


1971 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-268
Author(s):  
D. W. SUTCLIFFE

1. Sodium influx was examined in Gammarus duebeni from freshwater habitats on the Kintyre and Stranraer peninsulas in western Britain, and from a brackish-water habitat in Ireland. The affinity for sodium ions in the uptake mechanism at the body surface was similar in animals from the three localities. 2. Compared with the parent population from Kintyre, an experimental population established for 2 years in water with a lower sodium concentration showed an increased affinity for sodium. 3. Sodium losses in the urine of animals from the above localities were negligible at external salinities below about 2% sea water. In contrast, urinary sodium losses in animals from a brackish-water population in Britain were higher at salinities ranging from 40% sea water to well below 2% sea water. 4. The affinity for sodium ions in uptake mechanisms at the body surface and in the antennary glands of G. duebeni from a wide range of habitats shows a market correlation with the sodium concentration of the habitat. The permeability of the body surface to outward movement of sodium is similar in G. duebeni from brackishwater and freshwater habitats. 5. It is suggested that most of the observed physiological differences between populations of G. duebeni are phenotypic in origin. The status of the freshwater ‘race’ in Ireland is briefly discussed.


1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-344
Author(s):  
D. W. SUTCLIFFE

1. Gammarus duebeni from brackish water was acclimatized to salinities ranging from 100% sea water down to 0.25 mM/1 NaCl at 9 °C. 2. The body water content increased from 76 to 81% body wet weight. The ratio of total body sodium/chloride increased from 1.04 to 1.52. The sodium space remained constant, equivalent to about 65 % body H2O. The chloride space decreased from about 60% body H2O down to 35% body H2O. 3. Total body potassium remained almost constant and showed only a small decrease in dilute NaCl-media. Potassium balance was maintained for several days at an external potassium concentration of 0.010-0.015 mM/1. 4. The proportion of body water in the extracellular blood space was calculated from the assumption that potassium and chloride ions were distributed in a Donnan equilibrium between the blood and intracellular spaces. The blood space was slightly smaller than the chloride space. 5. The mean intracellular concentrations of sodium, potassium and chloride were calculated. Sodium fell from 120 to 75 mM/kg cell H2O, potassium fell from 125 to 75 mM/kg cell H2O and chloride fell from 55 to 12 mM/kg cell H2O. These concentrations are similar to the concentrations found in the muscles of decapods and in the tissues of other animals. 6. About 10% of the body chloride and 93-97% of the body potassium is situated in the cells. The proportion of intracellular sodium increased from 17-18% body sodium at 100% sea water to 40-50% body sodium at 0.25 mM/l NaCl. 7. G. duebeni from three freshwater populations were acclimatized to 2 % sea water, 0.5 and 0.25 mM/l NaCl. The body surface is three times more permeable to potassium than it is to sodium and chloride. Potassium balance in starved animals was achieved at 0.010-0.015 mM/l K. Fed animals had a higher body sodium and chloride content than starved animals. 8. The regulation of body water and ions in animals from the freshwater populations was essentially the same as in animals from brackish-water populations. The significance of the results is discussed in relation to the process of adaptation to fresh water.


1963 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-104
Author(s):  
C. R. HOUSE

1. The sodium effluxes between the blood and the medium have been studied in Blennius pholis in 10, 40 and 100% s.w. and in transfer from 40 to 100% s.w. under equilibrium conditions with the isotope 24Na. In addition the sodium influxes have been studied in 40 and 100 % s.w. in a similar manner. 2. The total flux in 100% s.w. has been found to be 100 mM. Na/l. blood/hr., and in 40 and 10% s.w. it has been found to be 20 mM. Na/l. blood/hr. 3. The results are interpreted as showing that the presence or absence of exchange diffusion does not alter the estimation of the active sodium efflux across the gills in 100% s.w. 4. The efflux experiments showed that the animal had a rapid adaptive ability to osmo-regulate upon transference from 40 to 100% s.w. 5. The electric potential differences between the blood and external medium have been measured in animals adapted to 10, 40, 100 and 150% s.w. and the blood serum concentrations of sodium and chloride ions have been measured in these media. 6. The mean potential differences ± standard deviation in 10, 40, 100 and 150% s.w. have been found to be -3±4.5 mV., +23±4 mV., +23 ±3 mV. and +29.5±5 mV. respectively (external medium taken as reference). 7. The results are interpreted as showing that there is active outward excretion of chloride ions in animals adapted to 150, 100 and 40% s.w. and active inward absorption of chloride ions in 10% s.w. and of sodium ions in animals adapted to 40 and 10% s.w. 8. The drinking rate in 100% s.w. has been calculated to be 27 mM. Na/kg. fish /hr. or 6% body weight/hr.


Author(s):  
Raveesha P ◽  
K. E. Prakash ◽  
B. T. Suresh Babu

The salt water mixes with fresh water and forms brackish water. The brackish water contains some quantity of salt, but not equal to sea water. Salinity determines the geographic distribution of the number of marshes found in estuary. Hence salinity is a very important environmental factor in estuary system. Sand is one major natural aggregate, required in construction industry mainly for the manufacture of concrete. The availability of good river sand is reduced due to salinity. The quality of sand available from estuarine regions is adversely affected due to this reason. It is the responsibility of engineers to check the quality of sand and its strength parameters before using it for any construction purpose. Presence of salt content in natural aggregates or manufactured aggregates is the cause for corrosion in steel. In this study the amount of salinity present in estuary sand was determined. Three different methods were used to determine the salinity in different seasonal variations. The sand sample collected nearer to the sea was found to be high in salinity in all methods.  It can be concluded that care should be taken before we use estuary sand as a construction material due to the presence of salinity.


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