Comparative study of erythrocyte morphology and size in relation to ecophysiological adaptations in Rodentia species

The size of erythrocytes varies widely across mammals. Previously, deviations from allometric relationships and existence of factors regulating erythrocyte size other than body mass have been shown. The contribution of factors such as habitat and taxonomy are still under discussion. In the present study we examined the morphology of erythrocytes in rodent species and determined their diameter, and for Ondatra zibethicus and Sciurus vulgaris this was done for the first time. We discovered that erythrocyte diameter of the investigated rodent species ranged from 5.5 to 8.4 gm, varying by a factor of more than 1.5. We analyzed our own data obtained for 10 species as well as data from the literature for 22 species. We found that the size of erythrocytes depended on the phylogenetic position, environmental conditions and body mass.