SCIENTIFIC TERMINAL REPORT,

Abstract

Conclusions: Desert and swamp deermice produce highly concentrated urine. Desert deermice have the additional adaptive power of tolerating an unusually high plasma concentration. Rabbits (desert cottontails as well as marsh rabbits) maintain a fairly constant osmolality of the internal medium. The ability to concentrate urine is great even in marsh rabbits when they are exposed to aridity of the environment. This concentrating ability of the marsh rabbits is enhanced, when exogenous ADH is injected. The size range of glomeruli is the same for desert and swamp deermice. But swamp deermice possess about twice as many glomeruli. The total length of glomerular blood channels is 23 m for swamp deermice, but only 13 m for desert deermice. The total glomerular filtration area is 430 mm sq for swamp deermice, but only 210 mm sq for desert deermice. The spaces of Bowman's capsule are 3 times as voluminous in desert mice than in deermice. If these measurements could be continued to encompass all parts of the nephron of the collecting tubules and of the interstitium, great progress could be achieved in the understanding of the role which every part of the kidney plays in the concentrating mechanism.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1965
Accession Number
AD0626840

Entities

People

  • Hans Elias

Organizations

  • Chicago Medical School

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Environment
  • Filtration
  • Glomeruli
  • Kidneys
  • Measurement
  • Terminals

Readers

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Wetland-Land-Environmental Management.

Technology Areas

  • Space