Water and Electrolyte Balance in Animals

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to water and electrolyte balance in animals, particularly focusing on the structure and function of the renal system.

Renal Cortex

The outer region of the kidney involved in filtering blood and urine formation.

Osmoregulation

The process by which organisms regulate the water and electrolyte balance within their bodies.

Electrolyte

A compound that dissociates into ions when dissolved in water, critical for cellular functions.

Osmosis

Movement of water down its concentration gradient across a semipermeable membrane.

Osmolarity

Concentration of solutes in a solution, measured in osmoles per liter.

Glomerulus

A bundle of capillaries in the kidney where blood filtration occurs.

Nephron

The functional unit of the kidney that concentrates urine.

Tubular Reabsorption

The process whereby the nephron reclaims water and solutes from the filtrate back into the blood.

Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)

A hormone that signals the kidneys to reabsorb water, reducing urine output.

Deamination

A metabolic process where an amino group is removed from an amino acid, primarily occurring in the liver.

Urea

A less toxic form of nitrogenous waste produced from ammonia, primarily excreted by mammals.

Osmoregulators

Organisms that actively use energy to maintain an osmolarity different from their environment.

Osmoconformers

Organisms that maintain an internal osmolarity similar to their environment.

Ionocyte

Mitochondrion-rich cells in ionoregulatory organs that actively pump ions.

Marine Fish

Fish that face osmotic stress due to their hyperosmotic environment compared to their gill cells.

Collecting Duct

The part of the nephron that merges and transports urine to the renal pelvis for excretion.

Loop of Henle

A U-shaped loop in a nephron that establishes an osmotic gradient essential for water reabsorption.