OSMOREGULATION AND EXCRETION Flashcards
What is a portal system?
A portal system is a vascular system that begins and ends at a capillary bed with no pumping mechanism in between
What are the 3 types of portal systems in the human body?
- Hypothalamohypophyseal portal
- Renal portal
- Hepatic portal
How does the hepatic portal system function?
Blood which enters through the hepatic portal vein from the intestine is rich with nutrients but also toxins
What is osmoregulation?
Osmoregulation is required by homeostasis and is the general term for the process by which organism control solute concentrations and balance water gain and loss
What is excretion?
Excretion is the ridding of nitrogenous waste and other metabolic waste products from the body
How does water leave and enter cells?
Through osmosis, which occurs when 2 solutions separated by a membrane differ in total solute concentrations
What is osmolarity?
Osmolarity is the unit of measurement for the solute concentration and is represented by the number of moles of solute per liter of solution (e.g. 300 mOsm/L human blood)
What is the formula for osmolarity?
Osmolarity = molarity (moles/L) x # particles/molecule
What is an isoosmotic solution?
An isoosmotic solution is when 2 solutions of the same osmolarity continuously share water molecules at equal rates in both directions across a semipermeable membrane
What is a hyperosmotic solution?
A hyperosmotic solution is the solution with the higher concentration?
What is a hypoosmotic solution?
A hypoosmotic solution is the more diluted solution, or rather the solution with the lower concentration of solutes
What direction do water molecules move?
Water molecules move from the less concentrated solution to the higher concentrated solution, reducing the concentration difference for both solutes and free water via dilution
What are the 2 ways in which animals can maintain water balance?
- Osmoconformer
- Osmoregulator
What is an osmoconformer?
An osmoconformer is an organism which is isoosmotic with their surroundings, meaning their internal osmolarity is stable and the same as that of the environment, so there is no gain or loss of water
What is an osmoregulator?
An osmoregulator is an organism whose control of internal osmolarity is independent of that of the external environment
Why do osoregulators expend more energy then osmoconformers?
Osmoregulators must expend energy to maintain the osmotic gradients that cause water to move in and out, which is done through the active transport of solutes
How do animals control solute concentrations?
Animals can indirectly control solute concentrations in cells by managing solute content of an internal body fluid that bathes the cells
Transport epithelia are also required, which are 1+ layers of epithelial cells specialized in moving regulating solute movement