Ion uptake in naturally acidic water

The first studies on ion regulation in fish exposed to low pH, which were inspired by the Acid Rain environmental crisis, seemed to indicate that ion transport at the gills was completely and irreversibly inhibited at pH 4.0-4.5 and below. However, work on characid fish native to the Rio Negro, a naturally acidic, blackwater tributary of the Amazon River, found that they possess ion transport mechanisms that are completely insensitive to pHs as low as 3.25. As more species were examined it appeared that pH-insensitive transport was a trait shared by many, if not most, species in the Order Characiformes. Subsequently, a few other species of fish have been shown to be able to transport ions at low pH, in particular zebrafish (Danio rerio), which show rapid recovery of Na⁺ uptake at pH 4.0 after initial inhibition. Measurements of rates of Na⁺ transport during exposure to pharmacological agents that inhibit various transport proteins suggested that characiform fish do not utilize the generally accepted mechanisms for Na⁺ transport that rely on some form of H⁺ extrusion. Examination of zebrafish transport at low pH suggest the rapid recovery may be due to a novel Na⁺/K⁺ exchanger, but after longer term exposure they may rely on a coupling of Na⁺/H⁺ exchangers and NH₃ excretion. Further work is needed to clarify these mechanisms of transport and to find other acid-tolerant species to fully gain an appreciation of the diversity of physiological mechansisms involved.