Osmoregulation and Excretion

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to osmoregulation and excretion in animals, summarizing important terms and their definitions as outlined in the lecture notes.

Osmoregulation

The process by which organisms regulate solute concentrations and balance the gain and loss of water.

Isoosmotic

A condition where two solutions have the same osmolarity and the movement of water is equal in both directions.

Hypoosmotic

A solution with a lower solute concentration compared to another solution.

Hyperosmotic

A solution with a higher solute concentration compared to another solution.

Osmoconformers

Marine animals that do not regulate their osmolarity and are isoosmotic with their surroundings.

Osmoregulators

Animals that expend energy to control water uptake in hypoosmotic environments and loss in hyperosmotic environments.

Stenohaline

Animals that cannot tolerate substantial changes in external osmolarity.

Euryhaline

Animals that can survive large fluctuations in external osmolarity.

Anhydrobiosis

An adaptation where organisms enter a dormant state in response to extreme dehydration.

Transport epithelia

Specialized epithelial cells that regulate solute movement and are essential for osmotic regulation.

Nitrogenous wastes

Waste products that result from the breakdown of proteins and nucleic acids, including ammonia, urea, and uric acid.

Ammonotelic

Organisms that excrete ammonia as their primary nitrogenous waste.

Ureotelic

Organisms that convert ammonia to less toxic urea for excretion.

Uricotelic

Organisms that excrete uric acid, a less soluble nitrogenous waste.

Countercurrent exchange

A mechanism that facilitates the removal of salt by maintaining a gradient between fluids moving in opposite directions.