Osmosis

Diffusion of water from

high water
concentration to lower
water concentration.
Water loss
Water gain

1
 Definitions
Osmotic concentration - Total concentration of
all solutes in an aqueous solution: measured
in units of osmolals = 1 mole of solute/liter of
water
 Osmoregulation
Maintaining osmotic
homeostasis
Balancing water and
electrolyte
concentrations
Maintains cell integrity
Maintains enzyme
function
etc.

3
 Introduction
Homeostasis = maintaining steady state
equilibrium in the internal environment of an
organisms
 Osmoregulation in different environments
Each species has a range of environmental osmotic conditions
in which it can function:
stenohaline - tolerate a narrow range of salinities in
external environment - either marine or freshwater ranges

euryhaline - tolerate a wide range of salinities in external

environment - fresh to saline:
short term changes: estuarine - 10 - 32 ppt, intertidal -
25 - 40
long term changes: diadromous fishes
 What is an osmoconformer?
-An animal that doesnt actively adjust its internal osmolarity.
Isoosmotic with their environment, most marine invertebrates

What is an osmoregulator?
An animal that must control its internal osmolarity because its
body fluids are not isoosmotic with the outside environment.
Regulates internal osmolarity by releasing or taking in water, many
Marine animals, all freshwater animals, terrestrials animals, and
humans
 Marine Animals
Most marine invertsbrates are osmoconformers
Often differ in concentrations of specific solutes, but total
solute concentration is same

Marine vertebrates are osmoregulators

For most, ocean water is very dehydrating
Balance loss of water by drinking lots of seawater
Dispose of salt from skin, gills
Excrete extremely concentrated urine
Osmoconforming (no strategy) Hagfish internal salt
concentration = seawater. However, since they live in
the ocean....no regulation required!
 Marine vs Freshwater Fish
Marine fish remove salt through specialized
glands and the kidneys, also drink large
amounts of seawater
Freshwater fish excrete large amounts of very
dilute urine, use gills to take in Na+ and Cl-
ions
Freshwater
fish lose
water by
osmosis

-Excrete
excess water
 Osmotic regulation by FW teleosts

Ionic conc. Approx 1/3 of seawater

Dont drink
Few chloride cells
Kidneys eliminate excess water; ion loss
Ammonia & bicarbonate ion exchange mechanisms
advantages and disadvantages?
 Freshwater teleosts:

H2O
dont
drink
Na+, Cl-

Na+, Cl- water

Ion exchange
pumps; beta chloride cells kidneys
Ion Exchange Mechanisms
freshwater interior
Na+
active
ATP
pump
NH4+ or H+

Cl-
active
ATP
pump
HCO3
-

gill membrane
Osmotic regulation by marine teleosts...

ionic conc. approx 1/3 of seawater

drink copiously to gain water
Chloride cells eliminate Na+ and Cl-
kidneys eliminate Mg++ and SO4=

advantages and disadvantages?

Marine fish
lose water by
Osmosis

-Actively
excrete salt to
Maintain
homeostasis
 Saltwater teleosts:

H2O

drink

Na+, Cl-

Na+, Cl- Na+, Cl- Mg++, SO4=

Mg++, SO4= chloride cells kidneys

 Chloride Cell
sea water

pavement
PC accessory
cell Cl- Na+ PC
cell
Cl- Cl- Na+
Na+

Na+, Cl- +
carrier Na+ Na+
pump
Na+ K+ ATPase
Cl- K+
gut
chloride cell mitochondria
internal tubular system
 Osmoregulation Strategies
Elasmobranchs
maintain internal salt concentration ~ 1/3
seawater, remaining 2/3 is urea and
trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). So total internal
osmotic concentration equal to seawater.

Gill membrane has low permeability to urea so it is

retained within the fish. Because internal inorganic
and organic salt concentrations mimic that of their
environment, passive water influx or efflux is
minimized.
What are the three types of nitrogenous waste,
what is different about them, and what is an
animal that excretes each type?
Ammonia(NH3)
-most toxic
-Excreted by aquatic animals
Urea
-low toxicity
-Requires less water to dilute &
can store large quantities
-Mammals, adult amphibians,
sharks, some bony fish, & turtles

--Uric Acid
-Least toxic
-Insoluble
-Can be excreted with little water
loss but energetically expensive
-Insects, land snails, many
reptiles, & birds
 Nitrogenous wastes
Produced from
metabolism of amino
acids and nucleic acids
Ammonia
Urea
Uric acid
Guanine
Arachnids
 Excretory Systems
Functional similarities of all excretory systems
Filtration of body fluids
modification of that filtrate by: selective
secretion of solutes and selective reabsorption
of some of those solutes
 Functional Unit of the Excretory
System of Mammals-Nephron
Kidney made of nephrons
nephron-single long tubule and associated
capillaries
three processes occur: filtration, secretion,
and reabsorption
Evolution of Excretory Systems:
Protonephridia
Organisms
Flatworms(acoelomates)
Rotifers
Some annelids
Mollusc larvae
Lancelets
Functions
Metabolic waste excretion
Osmoregulation
Disposal of nitrogenous
waste
Mechanisms
Tubule network
Flame bulbs
 Evolution of Excretory Systems:
Metanephridia
Organisms
Most annelids
Functions
Metabolic waste
excretion
Osmoregulation
Mechanisms
Ciliated funnel
Collecting tubule
Transport epithelium
 Evolution of Excretory Systems: Malpighian
Tubules
Organisms
Insects and other
terrestrial arthropods
Functions
Nitrogenous waste
disposal
Osmoregulation
Mechanism
transport epithelium
Evolution of Excrtory Systems:
Kidneys
Organisms
Vertebrates and some
other chordates
Functions
Osmoregulation
Metabolic waste excretion
Mechanism:
Highly organized tubules
Ducts
 Structure Of The Mammalian Excretory
System

Kidneys: renal
cortex, renal
medulla, nephron
Renal veins and
arteries supply
blood
Urine: Kidneys ->
Ureter -> Bladder ->
Urethra
Pathway of Filtrate
Solute Gradients
 Filtration
Blood pressure within the glomerulus forces
filtrate contains a mixture of glucose, salts,
vitamins, nitrogenous wastes, and other small
molecules
 Secretion
Plasma solutes are added to the filtrate
highly selective, involves passive and active
transport
example: H+ ions helps maintain pH of body
fluids
 Reabsorption
Selective transport of filtrate substances back
into the interstitial fluid
reclaims small essential molecules
nearly all sugar, vitamins, organic nutrients
reabsorbed, also some water
 Excretory Products
Ammonia is a byproduct of amino acid respiration it
must be removed or converted to a less toxic form
Ammonia is excreted through the gills and body
surfaces of most marine and freshwater animals.
Uric Acid- insoluble non toxic form produced by
birds, reptiles, and other terrestrial forms
Urea-ammonia is combined with CO2 and diluted in
water to form urine, produced by some terrestrial
animals
 Videos and Websites
http://www.biologymad.com/resources/kidne
y.swf
 Kidney
Nephron
Renal corpuscle
Glomerulus
Bowmans capsule
Tubule
Proximal convoluted
tubule
Loop of Henle
Distal convoluted
tubule

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 Nephron
Filtration in renal
corpuscle
Afferent arteriole
Glomerular capillaries
Podocytes of Bowmans
capsule
Efferent arteriole

42 15 July 2009 Osmoregulation.ppt

 Osmoregulation
Reabsorption in proximal
convoluted tubule
Active transport of Na+
Co-transport of glucose,
amino acids, etc.
Cl- follows Na+
Osmosis of water
Diffusion of non-polar
molecules
Diffusion of urea

43 15 July 2009 Osmoregulation.ppt

 Osmoregulation
Loop of Henle
Concentration of
salts in medulla of
kidney

44 15 July 2009 Osmoregulation.ppt

 Osmoregulation
Reabsorption and
tubular secretion in
distal convoluted tubule
Recovery of NaCl, water,
Reabsorption of HCO3-
Secretion of H+, K+
pH regulation

45 15 July 2009 Osmoregulation.ppt

 Osmoregulation
Collecting duct
Filtrate/urine makes one
more pass through
medulla
Final reabsorption (or not)

46 15 July 2009 Osmoregulation.ppt