Nitrogenous Waste

Question 1

Ammonia:

Answer 1

•aquatic species

+: saves energy, as it doesn’t need to be converted into other products.

-: requires large volumes of water to dilute it

Question 2

Urea

Product of of metabolic cycle

Answer 2

•land animals

+:
Very low toxicity

-:
Consumes lots of energy to convert from ammonia into urea.

Question 3

Uric acid

Answer 3

•insects, land snails, reptiles, birds

+ve:
Non-toxic and water insoluble therefore can be excreted as semisolid paste with little water loss.

-ve:
Consumes lots of energy to synthesize from ammonia