ABSTRACT
The corpuscles of Stannius are linked to the renal transport of magnesium in freshwater North American eels. The urinary magnesium concentration and rate of magnesium excretion increased 3 days after the corpuscles had been removed, a trend which continued throughout a 14 day observation period. There was no overall change in urine flow rates except for a brief 50% reduction 2 days after stanniectomy. Plasma magnesium concentrations drifted downward after stanniectomy. In contrast, plasma calcium concentrations increased significantly within 2 days following stanniectomy and they continued to increase thereafter. Urinary calcium concentrations and the rate of urinary calcium excretion increased 7 days after stanniectomy, implying that the renal response was subject to the increase in plasma calcium concentration: the urine/plasma calcium ratio remained constant. Even though the urinary calcium concentration increased after stanniectomy, the increase in urinary magnesium concentration was proportionally greater.
