The effect of acid water on the loss of divalent cations and primary amines from natural membranes.

Losses of Ca2+, Mg2+ and primary amines into waters between pH = 5 and 3 from eyed Chinook salmon eggs, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha , and gills excised from the freshwater, bivalve mollusc Anodonta californiensis were measured and compared to effluxes into distilled water. Sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric acids were used. Even at pH = 5 losses of Ca2+ and Mg2+ from both biological systems occur at short times, minutes, and can exceed those found in water of higher pH (non-acid waters). Increasing acidity increases short term primary amine loss from both systems. For both divalent cation and amino acid losses gills of A. californiensis are more sensitive to acidity than eggs of O. tshawytscha .