discuss water balance in a freshwater vs. saltwater fish

Expert Solution

Fresh water fishes are hypertonic to their surrounding environment. ie: the salt concentration inside their body is higher than in the surrounding water. They absorb a controlled amount of water through the mouth and the gill membranes. To compensate, the kidney produces a large amount of urine, which at the same time means loss of salts. In order to maintain a sufficient salt level, special cells in the gills (chloride cells) take up ions from the water, which are then directly transported into the blood .

Marine fishes face the opposite challenge – since the salt content in their blood is much lower than that of seawater, they constantly tend to lose water and build up salt. To replace the water loss, they continually need to drink seawater. Since their small kidney can only excrete relatively small amount of urine, the excretion of salt additionally takes place in the gills where chloride cells work in reverse as in freshwater fishes .

gladiator answered 2 years ago

Compare the osmoregulatory challenges faced by saltwater and freshwater fish, and the ways in which their...

Compare the osmoregulatory challenges faced by saltwater and freshwater fish, and the ways in which their bodies achieve homeostasis with regard to osmoregulation.

Freshwater, Inc. produces drinking water from saltwater through a desalination process. Salt, a byproduct of the...

Freshwater, Inc. produces drinking water from saltwater through a desalination process. Salt, a byproduct of the process, can be sold. Both products are fully processed at the split-off point. There are no separable costs. For September, the cost to desalinate 326,000 gallons of seawater was $97,500. Production and sales data are as follows: Measure Production Sales Sales price Drinking water Gallons 325,000 300,000 $0.75 225,000 Salt Pounds 10,000 6,500 0.50 3,250 There were no beginning inventories at 9/1. What is...

Contrast the mechanism that freshwater and saltwater animals use to osmoregulate

Describe what will happen to an exclusively saltwater fish (meaning it only lives in saltwater) if...

Describe what will happen to an exclusively saltwater fish (meaning it only lives in saltwater) if it is placed in a freshwater environment. Be sure to describe what will happen to the cells of the saltwater fish when put in this environment. 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

A 6.0 kg freshwater fish at the surface of a lake is neutrally buoyant.If the density...

A 6.0 kg freshwater fish at the surface of a lake is neutrally buoyant.If the density of its body with its swim bladder deflated is 1060 kg/m3, what volume of gas must be in the swim bladder for the fish to be neutrally buoyant? Express your answer to two significant figures and include the appropriate units.

2) Is most of the water on earth freshwater or salty water? What percent of the...

2) Is most of the water on earth freshwater or salty water? What percent of the Earth’s water would you find in the oceans? Groundwater? Lakes? Rivers? Icecaps and Glaciers?

Discuss the importance of water balance and imbalances in electrolytes.

A plant cell that contains 80% water in the cytoplasm has been flooded with 40% saltwater....

A plant cell that contains 80% water in the cytoplasm has been flooded with 40% saltwater. What process will occur that will impact the size/weight of the cell? Select one: a. Diffusion of salt in the cell b. Osmosis c. Diffusion of salt out of the cell d. Dynamic equilibrium e. none are correct

What fraction of polystyrene is submerged when it floats in freshwater, given the density of water...

What fraction of polystyrene is submerged when it floats in freshwater, given the density of water at 0°C is very close to 1000 kg/m3?

If a marine fish is placed in a fresh water aquarium, will the fish be able to survive? Why or why not?

Question