Erythrocyte size in birds; an additional data set

Abstract

Birds have an efficient respiratory system, but in exchange of respiratory gases have the most important role erythrocytes. They transport the oxygen to the cells throughout the body, and it removes waste carbon dioxide from the cells. The size of the red blood cells gives us some idea of the area that is provided to the gas exchange. Although the measurement of length (long diameter) and width (short diameter) is basic morphological data, we can still encounter various data for specific species. In our previous studies, we found that cell size and shape are not species-specific and undergo many changes during the year, depending on many exogenous and endogenous factors. The aim of this work is to provide a basic view of the function and structure of erythrocytes and to point out aspects that potentially affect changes in the size and shape of erythrocytes. Despite these changes, erythrocyte size data provide us with the relative predictive value of the cell size of a particular species. The aim of this work is to supplement the existing data on bird erythrocyte size with published data from works from Eurasia and data from own observation. Given the current knowledge, it is appropriate in the future to supplement the database with additional data (age, sex, number of examined individuals, geographical location, the region, altitude, the annual cycle).