Back to Search
Start Over
Sexual dimorphism and seasonal variation in submandibular gland histology of Bolomys lasiurus (Rodentia, Muridae).
- Source :
-
Journal of morphology [J Morphol] 2002 Dec; Vol. 254 (3), pp. 320-7. - Publication Year :
- 2002
-
Abstract
- Wild rodents (Bolomys lasiurus) of both sexes were caught in a cerrado grassland area during the dry (July-September) and rainy (January-March) seasons of Brazil. Fasted animals were perfused with Karnovsky fixative through the left ventricle, under ether anesthesia, and the submandibular gland was processed for embedding in historesin. Histological and histometric data show sexual dimorphism at both seasons. In the volume percentage of the granular convoluted tubules (GCT) and their secretory granules, the males exhibited higher values. The absolute volume occupied by these structures, however, was dimorphic only in the rainy season. The diameter of the GCT, the height of its epithelium, and its total length were also greater in males during the rainy season. The absolute volumes of the acini and of the ductal tree were identical in both sexes in the dry and rainy seasons but the acinar diameter increased in the males and females during the rainy season. The sexual dimorphism and the seasonal variations now described in the B. lasiurus submandibular glands could be explained by the augmented reproductive activity of the males in the rainy period.<br /> (Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)
- Subjects :
- Animals
Epithelial Cells cytology
Epithelial Cells metabolism
Female
Male
Muridae anatomy & histology
Muridae physiology
Organ Size physiology
Submandibular Gland metabolism
Testis growth & development
Muridae growth & development
Seasons
Sex Characteristics
Sexual Behavior, Animal physiology
Submandibular Gland cytology
Submandibular Gland growth & development
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0362-2525
- Volume :
- 254
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of morphology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 12386901
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10041