Histology and Ultrastructure of the Nephron and Kidney Interstitial Cells in the Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar Linnaeus 1758) at Different Stages of Life Cycle.

This article presents data on the mesonephros histology and ultrastructure in the Atlantic salmon from the Baltic Sea and Barents Sea populations, with an emphasis on comparisons between the following ontogenetic stages: parr, smolting, adult life at sea, the adults' return to their natal river to spawn, and spawning. The ultrastructural changes in the renal corpuscle and cells of the proximal tubules of the nephron occurred as early as the smolting stage. Such changes reflect fundamental alterations during the pre-adaptation to life in saltwater. In the Barents Sea population, the adult salmon sampled in the sea had the smallest diameters of the renal corpuscle and proximal and distal tubules, the most narrow urinary space, and the thickest basement membrane. In the group of salmon that entered the mouth of the river and spent less than 24 h in freshwater, the structural rearrangements occurred only in the distal tubules. Better development of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and a greater abundance of mitochondria in the tubule cells were observed in the adult salmon from the Barents Sea compared to those from the Baltic Sea. Cell-immunity activation was initiated during the parr-smolt transformation. Another pronounced innate-immunity response was registered in the adults returning to the river to spawn.

Unique and ancestral features in trunk kidney microanatomy and ultrastructure of omul Coregonus migratorius.

This study presents novel data on the microanatomy and ultrastructure of the omul Coregonus migratorius trunk kidney. Adult individuals of C. migratorius were sampled in the Barguzin Bay of Lake Baikal. Active leuko- and erythropoiesis were found in the interstitium of the mesonephros. For the first time, cells with radially arranged vesicles have been described in the renal interstitium of C. migratorius. The quantitative characteristics of blood cells and ultrastructural parameters of leukocytes reflected the functioning of the non-specific defence system in the organism. The share of the renal interstitium, morphological diversity of the epithelial cells of the nephron tubules, the ultrastructural features of the renal corpuscles and nephron tubules and the number of mitochondria in leukocytes and ion-transporting cells were typical for representatives of the whitefish Coregonus lavaretus complex and thus considered ancestral features of the present-day C. migratorius population reflecting its adaptive potential to living in an ultra-deep Lake Baikal.

Major, trace, and rare-earth elements in the zooplankton of the Laptev Sea in relation to community composition.

We investigated the concentrations of major, trace, and rare-earth elements in zooplankton in relation to species community composition from the eastern part of the Lena Delta to the continental slope of the Laptev Sea in September 2015. The elemental composition of zooplankton inhabiting different areas demonstrated similarities. Cross-shelf changes were found for only 4 (Li, Zn, As, and U) of the 56 elements analyzed. Zinc was the only element concentration of which successively reduced across coastal-open ocean gradient. Considering own and literary data, we can assume that the cross-shelf decrease of zinc accumulation in zooplankton is a universal pattern, manifested in different climatic and biogeochemical environmental conditions and with different species compositions of the zooplankton community. Cross-shelf changes were also established for Li, As, and U. However, the concentrations of these elements increased along the gradient. We assume that increased As concentration in zooplankton across the shelf-continental slope gradient of the Laptev Sea is associated with a change in the feeding behavior of the species of the zooplankton community. However, a sharp increase in the concentrations of Li and U in zooplankton was associated with the appearance of Calanus copepods in the community. The average total concentration of rare-earth elements and yttrium in zooplankton of the Laptev Sea was 752.8 ng g-1 of dry weight. We found record high levels of rare-earth elements for zooplankton of the inner shelf, near the eastern part of the Lena Delta. From the inner shelf to the continental slope of the Laptev Sea, La, Ce, and Nd were the dominant rare-earth elements. The elemental composition of zooplankton in the Arctic Seas is characterized by a much lower content of major and trace elements in comparison with the zooplankton and total plankton of the ocean.