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GALLARDO,PEDRO; HERRERA,SOFÍA; SAFFER,KARIN; BOZINOVIC,FRANCISCO. |
Rodents from arid and semiarid environments live under conditions where the spatial and temporal availability of water is limited. Octodon degus is a South-American desert-dwelling rodent inhabiting arid and semiarid habitats of central and northern Chile. Its survival depends on morphological, physiological and behavioral adaptations that allow water conservation. This rodent has a high urine concentrating ability, high capacity of fecal dehydration and low evaporative water loss, related to the ability of the nasal passages to condense water from the exhaled air; this water must be absorbed in order to avoid its accumulation in the nasal passages and potential loss through the nostrils. We hypothesize that aquaporins (AQPs) might be present in the nasal... |
Tipo: Journal article |
Palavras-chave: Aquaporin; Nasal passage; Desert rodent. |
Ano: 2008 |
URL: http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0716-078X2008000100003 |
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