Animal Physiology: Osmoregulation and Excretion

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to osmoregulation and excretion as discussed in the lecture.

Osmoregulation

The process of regulating solute concentrations and balancing the gain and loss of water in an organism.

Isoosmotic

Describes two solutions with equal osmolarity, resulting in no net movement of water.

Osmoconformer

An organism that is isoosmotic with its surroundings and does not actively regulate its osmolarity.

Euryhaline

Organisms that can tolerate a wide range of salinities.

Uric Acid

A nitrogenous waste product that is largely insoluble in water and can be excreted with minimal water loss.

Protonephridia

A type of excretory system consisting of dead-end tubules capped by flame cells, found in some invertebrates.

Metanephridia

Excretory structures found in invertebrates, consisting of tubules that collect coelomic fluid and produce urine.

Malpighian Tubules

Excretory structures in insects that remove nitrogenous wastes from hemolymph.

Nephron

The functional unit of the vertebrate kidney, responsible for filtering blood and forming urine.

Anhydrobiosis

A dormant state that some organisms enter to survive extreme dehydration.