Active uptake of sodium by softshell turtles (Trionyx spinifer)
Dunson WA and Weymoutn RD. 1965. Active uptake of sodium by softshell turtles (Trionyx spinifer). Science. 149(3967):67-69
Aquatic softshell turtles (Trionyx spinifer spinifer) show a net active uptake of sodium from solutions of this cation as dilute as 5 micromoles per liter. This probably occurs in the pharynx, a site of aquatic respiration. Inhibition of active sodium transport by low temperatures causes an extreme lowering of the sodium concentration in the plasma. Other fresh-water turtles may utilize this mechanism of ionic regulation. The ultrastructure of the pharyngeal villi is similar to that of frog skin and toad bladder.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Dunson, William; Weymoutn, Robert
- Units
- SODN
- Keywords
- sodium, Turtles