Gill morphometry and fish osmoregulation

Morphofunctional parameters were studied during adaptation of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to different ionic environments: Strasbourg tap water, ion-poor water, and artificial seawater. The gill lamellae displayed large changes in size. Surface area of individual lamellae increased in trout acclimated to ion-poor water or seawater. Conversely, the harmonic mean thickness of the lamellar epithelium decreased in seawater, and to an even …