Summary
Tissues from the proximal, middle, and distal regions of the ceca of Gambel's quail and domestic fowl were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Cellular and subcellular structures, including epithelial cell height, mitochondrial volume fraction, microvillous surface area, proportion of goblet cells, and junctional complex characteristics, were quantified by a variety of stereologic procedures and other measurement techniques. The mucosal surface of quail cecum shows a much more highly developed pattern of villous ridges and flat areas than that of fowl cecum. The fowl has significantly greater cell heights than the quail in all cecal regions. The mitochondrial volume fraction does not differ significantly with species or region, but mitochondria are concentrated on the apical side of the nucleus. In both species, the proximal cecal region has the greatest microvillous surface area. All 3 components of junctional complexes, including zonula occludens, zonula adhaerens, and macula adhaerens, are quantified. When all factors are considered, the quail cecum appears to have morphological characteristics consistent with a greater potential capacity for absorption than the fowl cecum.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akester AR, Anderson RS, Hill RJ, Obaldiston GW (1967) A radiographic study of urine flow in the domestic fowl. Br Poult Sci 8:209–212
Anderson GL, Braun EJ (1984) Cecae of desert quail: importance in modifying the urine. Comp Biochem Physiol 78A:91–94
Bemrick WJ, Hammer RF (1978) Scanning electron microscopy of damage to the cecal mucosae of chickens infected withEimeria tenella. Avian Dis 22:86–94
Berridge MJ, Oschman JL (1972) Transporting epithelia. Academic Press, New York
Clarke PL (1978) The structure of the ileo-caeco-colic junction of the domestic fowl (Gallus gallus L.). Br Poult Sci 19:595–600
Duke GE (1986) Alimentary canal: anatomy, regulation of feeding, and motility. In: Sturkie PD (ed) Avian physiology. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 269–288
Dunhill MS (1985) Some statistical aspects of sampling in morphometry. Anal Quant Cytol Histol 7:250–255
Farquhar MG, Palade GE (1963) Junctional complexes in various epithelia. J Cell Biol 17:375–412
Fenna L, Boag DA (1974) Filling and emptying of the galliform caecum. Can J Zool 52:537–540
Gasaway WC (1976) Seasonal variations in diet, volatile fatty acid production and size of the cecum of rock ptarmigan. Comp Biochem Physiol 53A:109–114
Halnan ET (1949) The architecture of the avian gut and the tolerance of crude fibre. Br J Nutr 3:245–253
Hanssen I (1979) Micromorphological studies on the small intestine and caecea in wild and captive willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus lagopus). Acta Vet Scand 20:351–363
Hodges RD (1974) The histology of the fowl. Academic Press, London
Karasawa Y, Kawai H, Hosono A (1988a) Ammonia production from amino acids and urea in the caecal contents of the chicken. Comp Biochem Physiol 90B:205–207
Karasawa Y, Okamoto M, Kawai H (1988b) Ammonia production from uric acid and its absorption from the caecum of the cockerel. Br Poult Sci 29:119–124
Koike TI, MacFarland LZ (1967) Urography in the unanesthetized hydropenic chicken. Am J Vet Res 27:1130–1133
Leopold AS (1953) Intestinal morphology of the gallinaceous birds in relation to food habits. J Wildl Manage 17:197–203
Madara JL (1983) Increases in guinea pig small intestinal transepithelial resistance induced by osmotic loads are accompanied by rapid alterations in absorptive-cell tight-junction structure. J Cell Biol 97:125–136
Madara JL, Pappenheimer JR (1987) Structural basis for physiological regulation of paracellular pathways in intestinal epithelia. J Membr Biol 100:149–164
Marcial MA, Madara JL (1987) Analysis of absorptive cell occluding junction structure-function relationships in a state of enhanced junctional permeability. Lab Invest 56:424–434
Martinez-Palomo A, Erlij D (1975) Structure of tight junctions in epithelia with different permeabilities. Cell Biol 72:4487–4491
McBee RH, West GH (1969) Cecal fermentation in the willow ptarmigan. Condor 71:54–58
Mortensen A, Tindall AR (1981a) Caecal decomposition of uric acid in captive and free-ranging willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus lagopus). Acta Physiol Scand 111:129–133
Mortensen A, Tindall AR (1981b) On caecal synthesis and absorption of amino acids and their importance for nitrogen recycling in willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus lagopus). Acta Physiol Scand 113:465–469
Moss R (1972) Effects of captivity on gut lengths in red grouse. J Wildl Manage 36:99–104
Olson Jr C, Mann FC (1935) The physiology of the cecum of the domestic fowl. Am Vet Med Assoc J 87:151–159
Pappenheimer JR (1988) Physiological regulation of epithelial junctions in intestinal epithelia. Acta Physiol Scand 133:43–51
Pendergast BA, Boag DA (1973) Seasonal changes in the internal anatomy of spruce grouse in Alberta. Auk 90:307–317
Planas J, Ferrer MR, Moretó M (1987) Relation betwen α-methyl-D-glucoside influx and brush border surface area in enterocytes from chicken cecum and jejunum. Eur J Physiol 408:515–518
Reith A, Mayhew TM (1988) Stereology and morphometry in electron microscopy: Problems and solutions. Hemisphere Publishing Corp, New York
Rohlf FJ, Sokal RR (1981) Statistical tables, 2nd edn. WH Freeman and Co, San Francisco
Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1981) Biometry, 2nd edn. WH Freeman and Co, San Francisco
Weibel ER, Elias H (1967) Introduction to stereologic principles. In: Weibel ER, Elias H (eds) Quantitative methods in morphometry. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 89–98
Ziswiler V, Farner DS (1972) Digestion and digestive system. In: Farner DS, King JR (eds) Avian biology, Vol II. Academic Press, London, pp 343–430
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Strong, T.R., Reimer, P.R. & Braun, E.J. Morphometry of the galliform cecum: A comparison between Gambel's quail and the domestic fowl. Cell Tissue Res. 259, 511–518 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01740778
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01740778