Ion and Water Balance Flashcards
What are the three homeostatic processes?
Osmotic Regulation: Water
Ionic regulation: Ions
Nitrogen excretion: Excretion
What are the strategies to cope with ionic & osmotic challenges
Ionoconformer: exert little control over the solute profile within the extracellular space (marine)
Ionoregulator: control ion profile of extracellular space = use active mechanisms
Osmoconformer: internal and external osmolarity are similar
Osmoregulator: osmolarity is constant regardless of external environment
What is osmolarity?
Osmolarity: indication of the total solute concentration. Measure of the total # of solute particles per unit volume.
What is Tonicity? What are the types of tonicity?
Tonicity: The ability of a solution to cause a cell to shrink or swell. Depends of non-penetrating solutions
Isotonic: happy cells
Hypertonic: cells shrink
Hypotonic: cells burst
What is Dietary Water? Metabolic Water?
Dietary: water performed in plant and animal tissues
Metabolic: water generated as a result of oxidative phosphorylation
How do Animals compensate for ion and water movements?
By active transport of ions.
Primary Osmoregulatory epithelium of vertebrates are gills, kidney, and digestive system
How do Sharks maintain osmolarity?
Shark blood contains high levels of urea and TMAO (Trimethylamine oxide)
Maintains blood osmolarity slightly higher than seawater
Gill has specializations to reduce permeability to urea. Sharks gain H2O passively and use urea as a somolyte to increase osmolarity
Using Urea alone would be toxic, needs TMAO
How to Marine mammals differ from Terrestrial mammals? Desert?
Marine Mammals: Do not drink sea water, hyperosmotic (similar to desert)
Terrestrial Mammals: replace lost water through eating and drinking
Desert Mammals: Have little access to freshwater and has efficient kidneys
Can produce concentrated urine to conserve water
What epithelia are involved with ion and water balance? What else are they involved with?
Gills and Kidneys are also involved in the excretion of nitrogenous waste.
Protein catabolism (breakdown) generates ammonia (NH3)
What forms is Amino Acid breakdown is excreted as?
Ammonia, Urea, Uric Acid
What do Mammals produce when dehydrated? Alligators?
Mammals: Dehydrated = produce Uric Acid when = gout
Alligators: Hydrated = produce NH4HCO3 (Ammonium Bicarbonate) Dehydrated = produce Uric Acid
High Uric Acid can lead to gout in animals that dont normally excrete it
Summary of Ammonia
Aquatic Animals avoid ammonia poisoning by dissolving it in large amounts of H2O
Diffuses across gill epithelium/permeable membrated bathed by H2O
Summary of Urea
Urea is soluable in H2O and moderately toxic
Can accumulate Higher levels in tissues w/o damage
excreted in concentrated form and requires energy (pee)
Summary of Uric Acid
Uric Acid is ALMOST insoluble in water
In Cloaca, uric acid joins with ions and precipitates out. Little H2O loss
Nontoxic if doesn’t accumulate, 15 rxn each catalyzed by enzyme = lots of energy to cause rxns.
What are the Functions of the Kidney?
Ion Balance
Osmotic Balance
Blood pressure: a change in blood volume = change in BP
pH Balance: H+
Excretion: helps detoxify
Hormone production: Erythropoietin Calcitriol, Adrenal glands
Gluconeogenesis: making glucose form non-carb stuff (amino acids)