TY - JOUR
T1 - The ecophysiological significance of calcium bicarbonate in the urine of subterranean rodents
T2 - Testing a hypothesis
AU - Haim, A.
AU - Fairall, N.
AU - Prinsloo, P. W.
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - 1. 1. A comparative study of calcium and bicarbonate in the urine was carried out on the subterranean mole rat Cryptomys hottenlotus and the terrestrial vlei rat Otomys irroratus. 2. 2. The two species were kept on two different diets; carrots, a high calcium diet (41 mg/100kg) or potatoes, a low calcium diet (14mg/100g). 3. 3. The results show that the urine of the mole rat contained high values of calcium bicarbonate on either diet. 4. 4. The urine of the vlei rat showed high values of calcium bicarbonate only when kept on the high calcium diet. 5. 5. From these results we assume that in subterranean rodents excretion of calcium bicarbonate is an adaptive mechanism to unload CO2 without increasing its concentration in the hypercapnic environment.
AB - 1. 1. A comparative study of calcium and bicarbonate in the urine was carried out on the subterranean mole rat Cryptomys hottenlotus and the terrestrial vlei rat Otomys irroratus. 2. 2. The two species were kept on two different diets; carrots, a high calcium diet (41 mg/100kg) or potatoes, a low calcium diet (14mg/100g). 3. 3. The results show that the urine of the mole rat contained high values of calcium bicarbonate on either diet. 4. 4. The urine of the vlei rat showed high values of calcium bicarbonate only when kept on the high calcium diet. 5. 5. From these results we assume that in subterranean rodents excretion of calcium bicarbonate is an adaptive mechanism to unload CO2 without increasing its concentration in the hypercapnic environment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0642282528&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0300-9629(85)90498-0
DO - 10.1016/0300-9629(85)90498-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 14575039
AN - SCOPUS:0642282528
SN - 0300-9629
VL - 82
SP - 867
EP - 869
JO - Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology
JF - Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology
IS - 4
ER -