Measurement of blood volume in the elasmobranch fish Scyliorhinus canicula following acute and long-term salinity transfers

A technique using (51)chromium-labelled erythrocytes was used to measure blood volume in Scyliorhinus canicula following long-term and acute salinity transfers. Basal whole-blood volume was 5.6 +/- 0.2 ml 100 g(-1) (mean +/- S.E.), this increased (6.3 +/- 0.2 ml 100 g(-1)) following +14 day acclimation to 80% sea water (SW) and decreased (4.6 +/- 0.2 ml 100 g(-1)) following acclimation to 120% SW. These changes were shown to be primarily due to changes in plasma volume, with no significant changes in extrapolated red-cell volume being demonstrated. Blood volume was also measured in the same animals during 10 h acute transfer to 100% SW. Plasma volume in S. canicula during acclimation from 80% SW was significantly reduced (4.5 +/- 0.3 ml 100 g(-1)) after 6 h of transfer to 100% SW. Blood volume in animals during acclimation from 120% SW was significantly increased (4.8 +/- 0.2 ml 100 g(-1)) after 4 h of acute transfer. The osmoregulatory implications of these different timeframes during hyposaline and hypersaline transfer are discussed, along with the importance of this in vivo technique as context for in vitro studies with haemo-dynamic stimuli.