Comparison of calcium storage between a Baikalian gastropod and holarctic relatives.
In Lake Baikal, extremely thin shells are reported as a typical feature of endemic gastropods. This statement derived only from observations; no experimental data were available up to now. Therefore, we quantitatively investigated the calcium distribution in the endemic prosobranch gastropod Benedictia baicalensis and compared the results with those of Lithoglyphus naticoides, a near relative, non-endemic, palaearctic species. The shell of the endemic mollusc B. baicalensis consists of 94.9+/-26.0 microg Ca(2+)/microl animal volume (n=43), and in L. naticoides 865.0+/-271.5 microg Ca(2+)/microl (n=10). Calcium contents in the tissue of B. baicalensis vary between different sampling stations and different sampling dates (from 9.4+/-5.1 (n=33) to 20.5+/-8.4 microg Ca(2+)/mg dry weight DW (n=16)) and are only 1/5-1/10 compared to L. naticoides (88.5+/-39.1 microg Ca(2+)/mg DW (n=9)). But the values for hemolymph calcium concentration and osmolality in both species are identical (B. baicalensis: osmolality: 84.4+/-5.3 mosm/kg (n=40); hemolymph calcium concentration: 4.6+/-1.7 mmol/l (n=40). L. naticoides: osmolality: 85.0+/-2.0 mosm/kg (n=8); hemolymph calcium concentration: 5.2+/-5.0 mmol/l (n=40).). This is the first experimental study demonstrating, that - besides a similar hemolymph ionic composition - the Baikalian species is characterized by significantly lower calcium storage in shell and tissue than the nearly related non-endemic species.
Grospietsch
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Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Tierphysiologie (Stoffwechsel- und Systemphysiologie), Grunewaldstr. 34, 12165, Berlin, Germany. grospie@zedat.fu-berlin.de
Sitnikova
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Zerbst-Boroffka
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D000818:Animals; D001824:Body Constitution; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005618:Fresh Water; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000737:chemistry; D007477:Ions; D008974:Mollusca / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012800:Siberia; D012908:Snails / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry
D007477:Ions; D014867:Water; D002118:Calcium