{"id":4150,"date":"2017-03-27T22:47:37","date_gmt":"2017-03-27T22:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=4150"},"modified":"2024-04-26T02:35:35","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T02:35:35","slug":"need-for-osmoregulation","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/chapter\/need-for-osmoregulation\/","title":{"raw":"Need for Osmoregulation","rendered":"Need for Osmoregulation"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Explain why osmoregulation and osmotic balance are important body functions<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p id=\"fs-idm15739200\">Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a membrane in response to\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2002\" data-type=\"term\">osmotic pressure<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0caused by an imbalance of molecules on either side of the membrane.\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2003\" data-type=\"term\">Osmoregulation<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is the process of maintenance of salt and water balance (<span id=\"term2004\" data-type=\"term\">osmotic balance<\/span>) across membranes within the body\u2019s fluids, which are composed of water, plus electrolytes and non-electrolytes. An\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2005\" data-type=\"term\">electrolyte<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is a solute that dissociates into ions when dissolved in water. A\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2006\" data-type=\"term\">non-electrolyte<\/span><\/strong>, in contrast, doesn\u2019t dissociate into ions during water dissolution. Both electrolytes and non-electrolytes contribute to the osmotic balance. The body\u2019s fluids include blood plasma, the cytosol within cells, and interstitial fluid, the fluid that exists in the spaces between cells and tissues of the body. The membranes of the body (such as the pleural, serous, and cell membranes) are\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2007\" data-type=\"term\">semi-permeable membranes<\/span><\/strong>. Semi-permeable membranes are permeable (or permissive) to certain types of solutes and water. Solutions on two sides of a semi-permeable membrane tend to equalize in solute concentration by movement of solutes and\/or water across the membrane.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2968\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-2968\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1223\/2017\/02\/09001709\/Figure_41_05_01-1024x530.jpg\" alt=\"The left part of this illustration shows shriveled red blood cells bathed in a hypertonic solution. The middle part shows healthy red blood cells bathed in an isotonic solution, and the right part shows bloated red blood cells bathed in a hypotonic solution. One of the bloated cells in the hypotonic solution bursts.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"530\" \/> Figure 1.\u00a0Cells placed in a hypertonic environment tend to shrink due to loss of water. In a hypotonic environment, cells tend to swell due to intake of water. The blood maintains an isotonic environment so that cells neither shrink nor swell. (credit: Mariana Ruiz Villareal)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAs seen in\u00a0Figure 1, a cell placed in water tends to swell due to gain of water from the hypotonic or \u201clow salt\u201d environment. A cell placed in a solution with higher salt concentration, on the other hand, tends to make the membrane shrivel up due to loss of water into the hypertonic or \u201chigh salt\u201d environment. Isotonic cells have an equal concentration of solutes inside and outside the cell; this equalizes the osmotic pressure on either side of the cell membrane which is a semi-permeable membrane.\r\n\r\nThe body does not exist in isolation. There is a constant input of water and electrolytes into the system. While osmoregulation is achieved across membranes within the body, excess electrolytes and wastes are transported to the kidneys and excreted, helping to maintain osmotic balance.\r\n<h2>Need for Osmoregulation<\/h2>\r\nBiological systems constantly interact and exchange water and nutrients with the environment by way of consumption of food and water and through excretion in the form of sweat, urine, and feces. Without a mechanism to regulate osmotic pressure, or when a disease damages this mechanism, there is a tendency to accumulate toxic waste and water, which can have dire consequences.\r\n\r\nMammalian systems have evolved to regulate not only the overall osmotic pressure across membranes, but also specific concentrations of important electrolytes in the three major fluid compartments: blood plasma, extracellular fluid, and intracellular fluid. Since osmotic pressure is regulated by the movement of water across membranes, the volume of the fluid compartments can also change temporarily. Because blood plasma is one of the fluid components, osmotic pressures have a direct bearing on blood pressure.\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/affdaeef-8189-4436-b80a-b31b04157ff0\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Explain why osmoregulation and osmotic balance are important body functions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"fs-idm15739200\">Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a membrane in response to\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2002\" data-type=\"term\">osmotic pressure<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0caused by an imbalance of molecules on either side of the membrane.\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2003\" data-type=\"term\">Osmoregulation<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is the process of maintenance of salt and water balance (<span id=\"term2004\" data-type=\"term\">osmotic balance<\/span>) across membranes within the body\u2019s fluids, which are composed of water, plus electrolytes and non-electrolytes. An\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2005\" data-type=\"term\">electrolyte<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is a solute that dissociates into ions when dissolved in water. A\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2006\" data-type=\"term\">non-electrolyte<\/span><\/strong>, in contrast, doesn\u2019t dissociate into ions during water dissolution. Both electrolytes and non-electrolytes contribute to the osmotic balance. The body\u2019s fluids include blood plasma, the cytosol within cells, and interstitial fluid, the fluid that exists in the spaces between cells and tissues of the body. The membranes of the body (such as the pleural, serous, and cell membranes) are\u00a0<strong><span id=\"term2007\" data-type=\"term\">semi-permeable membranes<\/span><\/strong>. Semi-permeable membranes are permeable (or permissive) to certain types of solutes and water. Solutions on two sides of a semi-permeable membrane tend to equalize in solute concentration by movement of solutes and\/or water across the membrane.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2968\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2968\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2968\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1223\/2017\/02\/09001709\/Figure_41_05_01-1024x530.jpg\" alt=\"The left part of this illustration shows shriveled red blood cells bathed in a hypertonic solution. The middle part shows healthy red blood cells bathed in an isotonic solution, and the right part shows bloated red blood cells bathed in a hypotonic solution. One of the bloated cells in the hypotonic solution bursts.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"530\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-2968\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 1.\u00a0Cells placed in a hypertonic environment tend to shrink due to loss of water. In a hypotonic environment, cells tend to swell due to intake of water. The blood maintains an isotonic environment so that cells neither shrink nor swell. (credit: Mariana Ruiz Villareal)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>As seen in\u00a0Figure 1, a cell placed in water tends to swell due to gain of water from the hypotonic or \u201clow salt\u201d environment. A cell placed in a solution with higher salt concentration, on the other hand, tends to make the membrane shrivel up due to loss of water into the hypertonic or \u201chigh salt\u201d environment. Isotonic cells have an equal concentration of solutes inside and outside the cell; this equalizes the osmotic pressure on either side of the cell membrane which is a semi-permeable membrane.<\/p>\n<p>The body does not exist in isolation. There is a constant input of water and electrolytes into the system. While osmoregulation is achieved across membranes within the body, excess electrolytes and wastes are transported to the kidneys and excreted, helping to maintain osmotic balance.<\/p>\n<h2>Need for Osmoregulation<\/h2>\n<p>Biological systems constantly interact and exchange water and nutrients with the environment by way of consumption of food and water and through excretion in the form of sweat, urine, and feces. Without a mechanism to regulate osmotic pressure, or when a disease damages this mechanism, there is a tendency to accumulate toxic waste and water, which can have dire consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Mammalian systems have evolved to regulate not only the overall osmotic pressure across membranes, but also specific concentrations of important electrolytes in the three major fluid compartments: blood plasma, extracellular fluid, and intracellular fluid. Since osmotic pressure is regulated by the movement of water across membranes, the volume of the fluid compartments can also change temporarily. Because blood plasma is one of the fluid components, osmotic pressures have a direct bearing on blood pressure.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_affdaeef-8189-4436-b80a-b31b04157ff0\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/affdaeef-8189-4436-b80a-b31b04157ff0?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_affdaeef-8189-4436-b80a-b31b04157ff0\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-4150\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Biology 2e. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: OpenStax. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/185cbf87-c72e-48f5-b51e-f14f21b5eabd@10.8\">http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/185cbf87-c72e-48f5-b51e-f14f21b5eabd@10.8<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Access for free at https:\/\/openstax.org\/books\/biology-2e\/pages\/1-introduction<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":17,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Biology 2e\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"OpenStax\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/185cbf87-c72e-48f5-b51e-f14f21b5eabd@10.8\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"Access for free at https:\/\/openstax.org\/books\/biology-2e\/pages\/1-introduction\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"4a291daa-ef7a-44a7-8ce5-17ef592bf730, 15918651-929f-4dab-8438-f18f400a2a31","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-4150","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":3795,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/4150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/4150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8672,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/4150\/revisions\/8672"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3795"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/4150\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=4150"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=4150"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-biology2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=4150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}