Biology 2601A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Aquaporin, Plasmolysis, Vacuole
Document Summary
The capacity of air to hold water molecules increases exponentially as air temperature increases linearly. Thus, the amount of water needed to saturate a volume of air at a cold temperature is less than the amount of water required to saturate the same volume of air as it warms. As air warms over the day, its relative humidity drops. So, leaves lose less water through transpiration (e. g. cam photosynthesis) than at noon. Osmoregulation is defined as the balancing of water and ions in the cells and the body in order to allow physiological function. The osmolarity or osmolality is defined as the amount of solute present in a given solution. 1 mole of solutes is equivalent to 1 osmole. The effect of osmolarity is cumulative (e. g. 0. 2m of 5 things = 1. Typically, osmolality involves the amount of solutes per kilogram of solvent, while osmolarity involves the amount of solvent per litre of solvent.