NITROGEN EXCRETION IN MARINE AND FRESH‐WATER CRUSTACEA

Abstract

Summary1. The major characteristic of aquatic Crustacea is ammonotelism as shown by the relative importance of various nitrogenous end‐products of their nitrogen metabolism.2. In contrast to urico‐ and ureo‐genesis pathways, ammoniogenesis pathways have received recent attention; some specific enzymes such as glutamate dehydrogenase, AMP‐deaminase and glutaminase are now admitted to play a possible key role in ammoniogenesis of various crustacean species.3. Processes involved in ammonia output through the gill epithelium (diffusion and/or ionic exchanges) are discussed though few data related to Crustacea are as yet available compared to those obtained in ammonotelic fishes.4. The effects of some environmental factors as well as the physiological state of animals on nitrogen excretion of Crustacea are envisaged. The effects of temperature, salinity and NH4 concentration in the external medium are discussed first, followed by the changes in nitrogen excretion associated with the moult cycle, the nutritional state of animals and possible neuroendocrine control. It is demonstrated that the response of the excretion rate to these factors presents various patterns according to the species, its osmoregulatory abilities and its body reserves. Changes can also occur in the requisite metabolic pathways, thus increasing the difficulty of generalization.5. In spite of the great diversity encountered within Crustacea an attempt to bring out general trends of their nitrogen excretion is proposed.6. The present review is focused on metabolic and physiological aspects of crustacean nitrogen excretion but the significance of nitrogen release in nutrient regeneration in marine and fresh‐water ecosystems is foreseen.