Question

What is metabolic water? What are for ways (anatomical, physiological or behavioral) animals in dry environments conserve water?

Answer 1

Metabolic water refers to water created inside a living organism through their metabolism by oxidizing energy containing substances in their food.

1. Anatomical adaptations:

Head of the camel is small in comparison to that of other domestic animals. It bears no horns and has small bluntly errected ears to hear the minimal sound vibration and hear for long distance in the desert.

Most of the fatty tissues of camel is stored in the hump than being diffused throughout the body. The hump acts as food storage which will be converted to energy and water in case of starvation in the desert.

2. Physiological adaptation: Camel developed very low rate of water use and mechanism for restricting water loss as soosn as its intake is reduced. The hump is mainly comprised of fat and thus, the metabolic water content is high.

The camel's stomach contains a large amount of fluid secreted by the glandular sac areas which called water sacs.

Kidney controls water loss in two ways either by the absolute concentration achieved or by reduction in flow of urine.

3. Behavioral adaptation: The camel possess adaptive mechanisms to compensate for long periods of poor quality food and water deprivation for example there is slow decrease in weight through fluid loss during exposure to high temperature allowing the adjustment of fluid spaces and a stable metabolism.