BIOL 1107 Lecture Notes - Lecture 43: Malpighian Tubule System, Osmotic Shock, Electrochemical Gradient
Document Summary
Freshwater, marine, and terrestrial habitats pose different challenges to animals with regard to maintaining water and electrolyte balance. In marine animals, specialized epithelial cells have membrane proteins that remove excess salt (nacl) from the body so that it can be excreted. The same types of cells are found in the kidneys of mammals. In terrestrial insects, the hindgut and malpighian tubules are responsible for excreting water-soluble waste products and achieving homeostasis with respect to water and electrolyte concentrations. In terrestrial vertebrates, the kidney is responsible for excreting water-soluble waste products and achieving homeostasis with respect to water and electrolyte concentrations. The chemical reactions that make life possible occur in an aqueous solution. If the balance of water and solutes in the solution is disturbed, those chemical reactions and life itself may stop. An electrolyte is a compound that dissociates into ions when dissolved in water.
