Mammalian renal modifications in dry environments

The literature on the role of the kidney and renal morphological modifications in places of limited water supply is reviewed. The anatomical structures for urine concentration found in animals living in desert or arid environments, although not all occurring in one particular animal, are wide medullae, long loops of Henle, long proximal tubules, long collecting tubules, small renal corpuscles, extension of the renal pelvis, well developed elongated papillae, occurrence of giant vascular bundles, specialized ultrastructure of Henle's loops, epithelial changes in the collecting tubule, zonation of the vasa recta and peculiarity of the arterial supply to the kidney. The renal renin content is moderately high in these species. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is very active, retaining Na⁺ with water. The urine is concentrated at the expense of other electrolytes. Both the renal blood and urinary flow rates are lower than in species with access to unlimited water supply. The juxtaglomerular apparatus components are topographically intimate for effective tubuloglomerular autoregulation of renal blood flow.