[Microdissection study of the kidneys of reptiles living under different ecologic conditions].

Microdissectional studies on the kidneys of 24 reptilian species living in different habitats show that the relative length of the distal tubuli is higher in animals adapted to a limited water supply and to fresh-water basins, as compared to animals which have unlimited access to water. No regular changes in the length of proximal, intermediate and connective parts were observed. The increase in the length of the distal tubuli occurs simultaneously among different taxonomic groups of reptiles, indicating the existence of parallelism in evolution of their kidneys.