Summary
Aestivating snails form abundant lamellate vesicles in the cells of the mantle collar, an epithelium known to regulate the rate at which water is lost from its surface. Since lamellate vesicles are much reduced in hydrated mantle tissue of recently stimulated animals it is tentatively concluded that the vesicles, and their contents, form a barrier to water movement within these cells. X-ray microanalysis of unfixed thin sections shows that there is a concentration gradient of ions within these cells in aestivating animals which is not present in stimulated snails.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Humphreys, W.J., Spurlock, B.O., Johnson, J.S.: Critical point drying of ethanol-infiltrated, cryofractured biological specimens for scanning electronmicroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy/1974 (Part 1). Proceedings of the seventh annual scanning electron microscope symposium. IIT Research Institute Chicago, USA 1974
Machin, J.: Cutaneous regulation of evaporative water loss in the common garden snail, Helix aspersa. Naturwissenschaften 52, 18 (1965)
Machin, J.: The evaporation of water from Helix aspersa IV. Loss from the mantle of the inactive snail. J. exp. Biol. 45, 269–278 (1966)
Machin, J.: Structural adaptation for reducing water-loss in three species of terrestrial snail. J. Zool. (Lond.) 152, 55–65 (1967)
Machin, J.: Water exchange in the mantle of a terrestrial snail during periods of reduced evaporative loss. J. exp. Biol. 57, 103–111 (1972)
Machin, J.: Osmotic gradients across snail epidermis: evidence for a water barrier. Science 183, 759–760 (1974)
Schmidt-Nielsen, K., Taylor, C.R., Shkolnik, A.: Desert snails: problems of heat, water and food. J. exp. Biol. 55, 385–398 (1971)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Financial support from the National Research Council of Canada and the Atkinson Foundation. Toronto, is gratefully acknowledged. The work was performed during the sabbatical leave of one of us, using the facilities of the Department of Zoology and the Faculty of Medicine Electron Microscope Unit (supported, in part, by grant M.A. 4038 of the MRC of Canada), University of Toronto
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Newell, P.F., Machin, J. Water regulation in aestivating snails. Cell Tissue Res. 173, 417–421 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220329
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220329