describe the roles of water as a solvent in organisms with respect to digestion, excretion and transport.
Answers
Answer:
Water is a solvent for numerous biochemical moleculesm giving solutions and enabling:
Transport of nutrients, e.g. glucose and amino acids in blood, and sucrose in phloemRemoval of excretory products, e.g. ammonia, ureaSecretion of substances, e.g. hormones, digestive juices.
Role of water in metabolic reactions
The majority of essential metabolic reactions take place in solution in water. Water is a raw material or a product of many metabolic reactions.
Hydrolysis involves the addition of water (hydro) in the breakdown (lysis) of large biological molecules into their monomers/subunits, e.g. proteins into amino acids. (Water is release during condensation reactions).Water produced as a metabolic product of respiration is essential for organisms, especially those living in dry habitats. It is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain.Water is needed for photosynthesis as water is split in the photolysis of water, in order to replace the electrons lost from chlorophyll, and to provide protons for the NADPH.
Role of water in support
Water is not easily compressed and has an important role in support in plants and animals
The uptake of water by plant cells creates a pressure against the rigid cell wall.This turgor pressure helps non-woody plants to remain upright.Water provides buoyancy for aquatic organisms, e.g whales.Water has a high specific tension and water molecules have cohesive forces holding them together, due to hydrogen bonding between water molecules.These properties allow aquatic insects to walk on the surface of water, and water to be pulled through xylem in plants.Transpiration of water from the stomata allows water to be pulled up the stem. This brings essential nutrients with it.
Role of water in temperature regulation
Water has a high specific heat capacity which means it adsorbs a lot of heat energy for its temperature rise, and loses a lot to cool. This help to:
Reduce temperature fluctations in organisms - especially large ones.Minimise increases in temperature in cells as a result of biochemical reactions.Reduce fluctations in temperature in aquatic habitats.
A lot of heat is needed to turn water into vapour (it has a high latent heat of vaporisation)
This helps some animals to maintain a constant body temperature as a high amount of heat energy is removed from the body to evaporate sweat or during planting.In plants evaporation of water from leaves has a cooling effect.
Explanation:
Answer:
Water is a solvent for numerous biochemical moleculesm giving solutions and enabling:
Transport of nutrients, e.g. glucose and amino acids in blood, and sucrose in phloemRemoval of excretory products, e.g. ammonia, ureaSecretion of substances, e.g. hormones, digestive juices.
Role of water in metabolic reactions
The majority of essential metabolic reactions take place in solution in water. Water is a raw material or a product of many metabolic reactions.
Hydrolysis involves the addition of water (hydro) in the breakdown (lysis) of large biological molecules into their monomers/subunits, e.g. proteins into amino acids. (Water is release during condensation reactions).Water produced as a metabolic product of respiration is essential for organisms, especially those living in dry habitats. It is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain.Water is needed for photosynthesis as water is split in the photolysis of water, in order to replace the electrons lost from chlorophyll, and to provide protons for the NADPH.
Role of water in support
Water is not easily compressed and has an important role in support in plants and animals
The uptake of water by plant cells creates a pressure against the rigid cell wall.This turgor pressure helps non-woody plants to remain upright.Water provides buoyancy for aquatic organisms, e.g whales.Water has a high specific tension and water molecules have cohesive forces holding them together, due to hydrogen bonding between water molecules.These properties allow aquatic insects to walk on the surface of water, and water to be pulled through xylem in plants.Transpiration of water from the stomata allows water to be pulled up the stem. This brings essential nutrients with it.
Role of water in temperature regulation
Water has a high specific heat capacity which means it adsorbs a lot of heat energy for its temperature rise, and loses a lot to cool. This help to:
Reduce temperature fluctations in organisms - especially large ones.Minimise increases in temperature in cells as a result of biochemical reactions.Reduce fluctations in temperature in aquatic habitats.
A lot of heat is needed to turn water into vapour (it has a high latent heat of vaporisation)
This helps some animals to maintain a constant body temperature as a high amount of heat energy is removed from the body to evaporate sweat or during planting.In plants evaporation of water from leaves has a cooling effect.
Explanation:
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