Question

Why is osmoregulation an important process for animal cells?

If the concentration of water molecules is greater outside a cell, then the solution is ______ to the cell

Answer 1

• Osmoregulation is important process in animals which helps in maintenance of homeostasis. It is essential to keep fixed ion concentration inside and outside the cells and body fluids for maintaining permiability of cells and transport of various components across cells and organs. Kidney is an important organ which helps in osmoregulation. Absence of osmoregulation result in accumulation of various toxic substances such as ammonia, urea , etc which leads to lethal disorders. So it is essential to maintain osmoregulation by intake of water and minerals and expelling unwanted substances.

• If the concentration of water molecule is greater outside a cell, then the solution is hypotonic to cell. When the water molecule increase outside the solute concentration decrease where by water enter from outside to cell and cell swells where as when water molecules is higer inside cell than outside and solute concentration is less inside cell than outside then cell looses water to outside . At this stage cell undergoes plasmolysis and the solution is hypertonic.