Sodium Provision and Wild Cottontail Rabbits: Morphological Change in Adrenal Glands

A direct relationship exists between sodium (Na) nutrition and morphology of the mammalian adrenal cortex, but little research on the relationship between soil Na levels and herbivore populations exists. Consequently, we assessed the effect of Na on wild cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) inhabiting Na poor soils in southcentral Indiana by characterizing their adrenal mass and histology prior to, and following, provision of supplemental Na. Data and tissues were collected at annual (1985-87) hunter check stations and during the 1987 breeding season at the Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area