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Nitrogen Excretion in Sturgeons with Special Emphasis on the Siberian Sturgeon: Methods and Effect of Food, Feeding and Size of Fish

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The Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt, 1869) Volume 2 - Farming

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Abstract

Chapter 34 discusses the methods of excretion of nitrogen compounds from sturgeon and the most important factors influencing their size. In sturgeons, a majority of metabolic products of nitrogen transformations are eliminated in the form of ammonia. To a lower degree, nitrogen is excreted in the form of urea. The contribution of urea in total excretion of nitrogen can be however considerable, at a level from 17 up to 50%. Excretion of ammonia occurs particularly through the gills and transport through cell membranes of the gill epithelium and excretion of urea through kidneys or gills. Main factors which affect the excretion of nitrogen compounds are the size of fish, water temperature and food ration. The stabilisation of the amount of excretion (endogenous level of ammonia excretion) in the Siberian sturgeon occurs after approximately 1 week of starving.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sturgeon Fish Breeding, Inland Fisheries Institute, Pieczarki, 11-610, Pozezdrze, Poland

    Mirosław Szczepkowski

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  1. Mirosław Szczepkowski
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Correspondence to Mirosław Szczepkowski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Audenge, France

    Patrick Williot

  2. La Teste de Buch, France

    Guy Nonnotte

  3. State Center for Sturgeon Gene Pool Conservation “Kubanbioresursi”, Kuban State University, Krasnodar, Russia

    Mikhail Chebanov

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Szczepkowski, M. (2018). Nitrogen Excretion in Sturgeons with Special Emphasis on the Siberian Sturgeon: Methods and Effect of Food, Feeding and Size of Fish. In: Williot, P., Nonnotte, G., Chebanov, M. (eds) The Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt, 1869) Volume 2 - Farming. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61676-6_9

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