Cartilaginous fishes excrete urea instead of ammonia for nitrogen waste management
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 91/100
Cartilaginous fishes (elasmobranchs) retain high internal concentrations of urea rather than excreting all of their nitrogenous waste, utilizing it for osmoregulation to match marine osmotic pressures.
Evidence for · 3
Counteraction of urea destabilization of protein structure by methylamine osmoregulatory compounds of elasmobranch fishes
1979 · cited by 355
This study discusses marine elasmobranchs retaining high intracellular concentrations of urea for osmoregulatory purposes.
See more details
More for · 2
Osmoregulation, ionoregulation and acid–base regulation by the gastrointestinal tract after feeding in the elasmobranch (<i>Squalus acanthias</i>)
2007 · cited by 85
The paper examines elasmobranchs as ureotelic marine organisms that utilize urea extensively in physiological and digestive processes.
Using 15N to determine the metabolic fate of dietary nitrogen in North Pacific spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias suckleyi).
2023 · cited by 2
This research highlights that marine elasmobranchs are ureosmotic and retain large concentrations of urea to balance internal osmotic pressure.