OSMOREGULATION

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KEY CONCEPTS

• Osmoregulation is the process by which

organisms control the concentration of
water and salt in the body so that their
body fluids do not become too dilute or
too concentrated.
• Excretory systems have evolved that
function in both osmoregulation and in
disposal of metabolic wastes.

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• Freshwater, marine, and terrestrial
animals have different adaptations to
meet the challenges of these diverse
environments.
• The vertebrate kidney maintains water
and electrolyte balance and excretes
metabolic wastes.
• The nephron is the functional unit of the
vertebrate kidney

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• Extracellular fluid, the fluid outside
the cells, includes interstitial fluid
(the fluid between cells), lymph, and
blood plasma (or hemolymph).
• Electrolytes are compounds such as
inorganic salts, acids, and bases that
form ions in solution.

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• Electrolytes are very important
solutes in body fluids. Many
homeostatic mechanisms act to
maintain fluid and electrolyte
balance.
• If the solute concentrations of two
solutions are equal, they are isotonic
to each other.

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• If solution A has a greater solute
concentration than solution B,
solution A is hypertonic to solution B.
• Solution B, with a lower solute
concentration relative to solution A,
is hypotonic to solution A.

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• An osmol is a unit of osmotic
pressure equal to the molarity of the
solution divided by the number of
particles produced when the solute
dissolves.
• For example, glucose dissolves to
give only one kind of particle, so a
mole of glucose in solution is one
osmole.
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• Osmolarity is a measure of the number
of osmoles of solute per liter of solution.
Solutions with the same osmolarity are
described as isosmotic.
• If solution X has a higher osmolarity than
solution Y, it is described as
hyperosmotic. Solution Y would be
described as hypo-osmotic relative to
solution X.
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• Osmoregulation is the process by which
organisms control the concentration of
water and salt so that their body fluids
do not become too dilute or too
concentrated.
• Excretion is the process of ridding the
body of metabolic wastes.
• Excretory systems have evolved that
function in both osmoregulation and in
disposal of metabolic wastes.
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Formation of nitrogenous wastes 10
• Metabolic wastes must be excreted so
that they do not accumulate and reach
concentrations that would disrupt
homeostasis.
• The principal metabolic waste products
produced by most animals are water,
carbon dioxide, and nitrogenous wastes,
those that contain nitrogen

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• Carbon dioxide is excreted mainly by
respiratory structures
• In terrestrial animals, some water is
also lost from respiratory surfaces.
• Excretory organs, such as kidneys,
remove and excrete most of the
water and nitrogenous wastes.

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• Nitrogenous wastes include ammonia,
uric acid, and urea.
• Recall that amino acids and nucleic acids
contain nitrogen.
• During the metabolism of amino acids,
the nitrogen-containing amino group is
removed (in a process known as
deamination) and converted to ammonia

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• ammonia is highly toxic.
• Some aquatic animals excrete it into the
surrounding water before it can build up
to toxic concentrations in their tissues.
• A few terrestrial animals, including some
snails , it directly into the air.
• But many animals, humans included,
convert ammonia to some less toxic
nitrogenous waste such as uric acid or
urea.
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• Uric acid is produced both from ammonia and
by the breakdown of nucleotides from nucleic
acids.
• Uric acid is insoluble in water and forms
crystals that are excreted as a crystalline
paste, so little fluid loss results.
• This is an important water-conserving
adaptation in many terrestrial animals,
including insects, certain reptiles, and birds.

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• Urea, the principal nitrogenous waste product
of amphibians and mammals, is synthesized in
the liver from ammonia and carbon dioxide by
a sequence of reactions known as the urea
cycle.
• Like the formation of uric acid, these reactions
require specific enzymes and the input of
energy by the cells.
• Compared to
• the energy cost of producing ammonia, that of
producing urea and uric acid is high.
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• Urea has the advantage of being far less
toxic than ammonia and can accumulate
in higher concentrations without causing
tissue damage; thus, it can be excreted in
more concentrated form.
• Because urea is highly soluble, however,
it is dissolved in water, and more water is
needed to excrete urea than to excrete
uric acid.

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Selesai

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