Cartilaginous fishes excrete urea instead of ammonia for nitrogen waste management
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.
The retrieved literature consistently confirms that cartilaginous fishes (such as sharks, rays, and skates) are ureosmotic or ureotelic, retaining high levels of urea internally for osmoregulation rather than simply excreting all nitrogenous waste as ammonia. Papers [0], [1], and [8] explicitly detail this physiological adaptation.
Paul H. Yancey, George N. Somero. Counteraction of urea destabilization of protein structure by methylamine osmoregulatory compounds of elasmobranch fishes. 1979. https://doi.org/10.1042/bj1830317
This study discusses marine elasmobranchs retaining high intracellular concentrations of urea for osmoregulatory purposes.
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Chris M. Wood, Makiko Kajimura, Carol Bucking, Patrick J. Walsh. Osmoregulation, ionoregulation and acid–base regulation by the gastrointestinal tract after feeding in the elasmobranch (<i>Squalus acanthias</i>). 2007. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.02736
The paper examines elasmobranchs as ureotelic marine organisms that utilize urea extensively in physiological and digestive processes.
Hoogenboom JL, Anderson WG. Using 15N to determine the metabolic fate of dietary nitrogen in North Pacific spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias suckleyi).. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244921
This research highlights that marine elasmobranchs are ureosmotic and retain large concentrations of urea to balance internal osmotic pressure.
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