Homeostasis - Osmoregulation

Question 1

What is osmoregulation?

Answer 1

Physiological processes that an organism uses to maintain water balance; regarding water loss/gain and how to balance the osmotic concentration of fluids.

Question 2

What are diffusion and osmosis?

Answer 2

Movement of substance from an area of greater concentration to an area of lower concentration.
Diffusion of water via a semi-impermeable membrane.

Question 3

What is the difference between hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic?

Answer 3

Hyper - a solution with a higher concentration of solute.
Hypo - a solution with a lesser concentration of solute.
Regarding with salt content of water - fresh/salt.

Question 4

What is an osmoregulator?

Answer 4

Maintain a more or less stable internal osmolarity by physiological means.

Question 5

What is an osmoconformer?

Answer 5

The body fluids are similar to seawater in osmolarity. Unabe to tolerate grea change in salinity.

Question 6

What are the water inputs/outputs?

Answer 6

Drninking, food, water as waste via metabolism.

Urine, feces, sweat, respiratory surfaces.

Question 7

How do terrestrial organisms balance water and salt?

Answer 7

Excretory organs are highly specialised to conserve water. Range of adaptations for water preservation. Dependant on their habitat for water availability.

Question 8

How do aquatic organisms balance water and salt?

Answer 8

Respiratory & excretory organs specialised to maintain water/salt balance. Dependant on habitat.

Question 9

List some adaptations for reducing salt in marine environments.

Answer 9

Seabirds & marine iguanas - nasal salt secreting glands.
Sea snake - sublingual gland.
Crocodile - lacrimal gland.
Fish gills - chloride cells.
Shark - rectal gland.

Question 10

What is a nasal salt gland?

Answer 10

Remove excess sodium chloride from the blood - found in seabirds. Located in nasal cavity. Use transport epithelia, which are specialized cells that regulate solute movement arranged in complex tubular networks