Salt and water balance of modern baleen whales: rate of urine production and food intake

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 606-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Kjeld
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Creatinine Clearance ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Creatinine Concentration ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Urine Production ◽  
Salt And Water Balance

Whales, as pelagic marine mammals, are thought to have evolved from fresh-water-dependent terrestrial mammals. Baleen whales feed primarily on salty euphausiids (krill) and have no access to fresh water. How have these mammals adapted to lifelong habitation in a hyperosmotic medium? A new approach is proposed for studying this by using allometry (scaling) of endogenous creatinine clearance in mammals together with determinations of creatinine concentration in fresh postmortem blood and urine of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis). From the predicted mean creatinine-clearance values and the measured mean creatinine concentrations, a urine-production rates of 974 and 627 L/day for the fin and sei whales, respectively, were computed. Average daily krill ingestion of about 1300 and 835 L is predicted for the fin and sei whales, respectively. The whales seem to ingest about 30% more than earlier reported of a prey, which has about 50% of the salt concentration of seawater, thus maintaining the salt and water balance with a minimum of 1–2% seawater ingestion. The method used to estimate the above volumes could be a valuable tool in further studies of the water and salt balance of the large baleen whales, which may not have the same osmoregulatory control mechanisms as the smaller Odontoceti.

Salt and Water Balance in Salmon Smolts

1970 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-564
Author(s):  
W. T. W. POTTS ◽  
MARGARET A. FOSTER ◽  
J. W. STATHER
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Sodium Pump ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Exchange Diffusion ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses ◽  
Salt And Water Balance

1. Salmon smolts adapted to sea water maintain a high rate of turnover of both sodium and chloride, but when adapted to fresh water the rate of turnover is low. 2. Only a small part of the influx takes place through the gut. 3. On immediate transfer from sea water to dilute sea water or to fresh water the influxes decline rapidly, but on transfer from fresh water to sea water the restoration of the fluxes takes place slowly. 4. The alternative hypotheses that the rapid changes are due to exchange diffusion or to rapid adjustments of the sodium pump are discussed.

scholarly journals Salt and Water Balance in the East African Fresh-Water Crab, Potamon Niloticus (M. Edw.)

1959 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. SHAW
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Freezing Point ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sodium Balance ◽  
East African ◽  
Sodium Loss ◽  
Salt And Water Balance

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.

scholarly journals Osmoregulation in Marine Mammals

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (11) ◽  
pp. 1831-1844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudy M. Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Hormonal Regulation ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Electrolyte Balance ◽  
Dietary Salt ◽  
Sea Otters ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Urine Concentrations ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

SUMMARY Osmoregulation in marine mammals has been investigated for over a century; however, a review of recent advances in our understanding of water and electrolyte balance and of renal function in marine mammals is warranted. The following topics are discussed: (i) kidney structure and urine concentrating ability, (ii) sources of water, (iii) the effects of feeding, fasting and diving, (iv) the renal responses to infusions of varying salinity and (v) hormonal regulation. The kidneys of pinnipeds and cetaceans are reniculate in structure, unlike those of terrestrial mammals (except bears), but this difference does not confer any greater concentrating ability. Pinnipeds, cetaceans, manatees and sea otters can concentrate their urine above the concentration of sea water, but only pinnipeds and otters have been shown to produce urine concentrations of Na+ and Cl−1 that are similar to those in sea water. This could afford them the capacity to drink sea water and not lose fresh water. However, with few exceptions, drinking is not a common behavior in pinnipeds and cetaceans. Water balance is maintained in these animals via metabolic and dietary water, while incidental ingestion and dietary salt may help maintain electrolyte homeostasis. Unlike most other aquatic mammals, sea otters commonly drink sea water and manatees frequently drink fresh water. Among the various taxonomic groups of marine mammals, the sensitivity of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system appears to be influenced by the availability of Na+. The antidiuretic role of vasopressin remains inconclusive in marine mammals, while the natriuretic function of atrial natriuretic peptide has yet to be examined. Ideas on the direction of future studies are presented.

Fresh water balance of the Gulf Stream system in a regional model study

2001 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 17-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Gerdes ◽  
A. Biastoch ◽  
R. Redler
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Regional Model ◽  
Model Study ◽  
Stream System

scholarly journals The Effect of Cadmium on GFR Is Clarified by Normalization of Excretion Rates to Creatinine Clearance

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1762
Author(s):  
Soisungwan Satarug ◽  
David A. Vesey ◽  
Muneko Nishijo ◽  
Werawan Ruangyuttikarn ◽  
Glenda C. Gobe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Creatinine Clearance ◽  
Tubular Injury ◽  
Creatinine Concentration ◽  
Thai Subjects ◽  
Urine Creatinine ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Nephron Loss ◽  
Urine Cadmium ◽  
Excretion Rates ◽  
Cd Exposure

Erroneous conclusions may result from normalization of urine cadmium and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase concentrations ([Cd]u and [NAG]u) to the urine creatinine concentration ([cr]u). In theory, the sources of these errors are nullified by normalization of excretion rates (ECd and ENAG) to creatinine clearance (Ccr). We hypothesized that this alternate approach would clarify the contribution of Cd-induced tubular injury to nephron loss. We studied 931 Thai subjects with a wide range of environmental Cd exposure. For x = Cd or NAG, Ex/Ecr and Ex/Ccr were calculated as [x]u/[cr]u and [x]u[cr]p/[cr]u, respectively. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated according to the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Epidemiology Collaboration (eGFR), and CKD was defined as eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m2. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, prevalence odds ratios (PORs) for CKD were higher for log(ECd/Ccr) and log(ENAG/Ccr) than for log(ECd/Ecr) and log(ENAG/Ecr). Doubling of ECd/Ccr and ENAG/Ccr increased POR by 132% and 168%; doubling of ECd/Ecr and ENAG/Ecr increased POR by 64% and 54%. As log(ECd/Ccr) rose, associations of eGFR with log(ECd/Ccr) and log(ENAG/Ccr) became stronger, while associations of eGFR with log(ECd/Ecr) and log(ENAG/Ecr) became insignificant. In univariate regressions of eGFR on each of these logarithmic variables, R2 was consistently higher with normalization to Ccr. Our tabular and graphic analyses uniformly indicate that normalization to Ccr clarified relationships of ECd and ENAG to eGFR.

Impacts cumulatifs du développement hydro-électrique sur le bilan d'eau douce de la baie d'Hudson

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Anctil ◽  
Richard Couture
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Mass Exchange ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Hydroelectric Development

This paper discusses the consequences on the marine environment, more specifically on the fresh water balance, of the hydroelectric development of several tributaries of Hudson Bay, including James Bay and Foxe Basin. The fresh water balance is determined by identifying, at different scales, the modifications caused by each complex. The main inputs are the freezing and thawing of the ice cover, runoff water, and mass exchange at the air–water interface. Three spatial scales were used to obtain the resolution required to document the cumulative effects of fresh water balance modifications on the water surface layer: the Hudson Bay, the Hudson Strait, and the Labrador Sea. Finally, the addition of the proposed Grande-Baleine hydroelectric complex is examined from the available information and forecasts. Key words: hydroelectric development, impact, marine environment, fresh water balance, ice cover, runoff water, mass exchange.[Journal translation]

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