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Ch. 40 - Water and Electrolyte Balance in Animals

Chapter 39, Problem 15

Fish and other aquatic organisms are exposed to many types of water pollutants, including metals such as aluminum. Although a low level of aluminum is found in unpolluted water, many lakes and streams have an increased level because of mining, sewage treatment, and accidental spills of toxic materials. Aluminum pollution can result in mass fish die-offs. True or false: Water moves by osmosis across a fish's gills to an area with a higher sodium ion concentration because water molecules are attracted to the sodium ions.

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Hey everyone. Let's take a look at this question Together, the movement of water from an area of higher water potential to an area of lower water potential across the semi permeable membrane is termed as what? So when we're talking about the movement of water specifically from higher to lower across that membrane, we're talking about osmosis. Answer choice C. The correct answer because that movement of water or the diffusion of water from an area of higher to lower is called osmosis. Now answer choice a diffusion is incorrect because we're specifically talking about the movement of water. So it can be a facilitated diffusion is the diffusion of molecules that use transport protein. So that is also incorrect. And then answer choice D. Is incorrect because active transport is when you're going against that gradient so from an area of low to high, whereas in this case we're going from high to low. So answer choice C. Osmosis is the only correct answer here. I hope you found this video to be helpful. Thank you and goodbye.
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Textbook Question

Fish and other aquatic organisms are exposed to many types of water pollutants, including metals such as aluminum. Although a low level of aluminum is found in unpolluted water, many lakes and streams have an increased level because of mining, sewage treatment, and accidental spills of toxic materials. Aluminum pollution can result in mass fish die-offs. In a laboratory, scientists exposed freshwater bony fish (Prochilodus lineatus) to water with a high level of aluminum and compared their blood osmolarity to that of fish exposed to water with a normal aluminum level (control). The results of the experiment are shown here (asterisks indicate P<0.05 between control and treated groups at a given time; BioSkills 3). Do the data support the hypothesis that aluminum interferes with osmoregulation in freshwater fishes? Explain.

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Textbook Question

Fish and other aquatic organisms are exposed to many types of water pollutants, including metals such as aluminum. Although a low level of aluminum is found in unpolluted water, many lakes and streams have an increased level because of mining, sewage treatment, and accidental spills of toxic materials. Aluminum pollution can result in mass fish die-offs. Why did the scientists do this experiment in a laboratory instead of simply collecting fish from a river with a high aluminum level and documenting their osmoregulatory ability?

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Textbook Question

Fish and other aquatic organisms are exposed to many types of water pollutants, including metals such as aluminum. Although a low level of aluminum is found in unpolluted water, many lakes and streams have an increased level because of mining, sewage treatment, and accidental spills of toxic materials. Aluminum pollution can result in mass fish die-offs. The scientists also measured the activity of Na+/K+-ATPase, in the gills of the fish exposed to aluminum and compared it to that of the control fish. What do you suppose were their results? Explain.

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Textbook Question

Fish and other aquatic organisms are exposed to many types of water pollutants, including metals such as aluminum. Although a low level of aluminum is found in unpolluted water, many lakes and streams have an increased level because of mining, sewage treatment, and accidental spills of toxic materials. Aluminum pollution can result in mass fish die-offs. Draw a graph similar to the one here showing how the results would be different if the experiment had been performed on marine bony fish in seawater. (Assume that the osmolarity of seawater is 1100 mOsm and the set point osmolarity of marine bony fishes is 290 mOsm.)

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