9/10 Eco Q&A PDF
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This document covers key concepts in water science including relative humidity, evaporative cooling, respiratory water loss, isosmotic, hyperosmotic, and hypoosmotic concepts and how they affect diffusion of salts and water. It explores differences between terrestrial animals and plants and how fish living in salt vs freshwater regulate their water balance. This document is suitable for secondary school level biology or ecology study.
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1. What is relative humidity? Why does it matter regarding evaporative cooling? Relative Humidity (RH): The percentage of water vapor in the air relative to the maximum amount it can hold at a given temperature. Why it Matters for Evaporative Cooling: Evaporative cooling occurs...
1. What is relative humidity? Why does it matter regarding evaporative cooling? Relative Humidity (RH): The percentage of water vapor in the air relative to the maximum amount it can hold at a given temperature. Why it Matters for Evaporative Cooling: Evaporative cooling occurs when water evaporates, taking heat away and cooling the surface. At high RH (close to 100%), the air is already saturated with water vapor, so evaporation (and thus cooling) is reduced. At low RH, evaporation happens more readily, increasing cooling efficiency. 2. Be able to interpret a plot of respiratory water loss curves. a. Given values of relative humidity, be able to interpret rates of respiratory water loss. Respiratory Water Loss Curves: Higher relative humidity = lower respiratory water loss. Lower relative humidity = higher respiratory water loss. 3. What do isosmotic, hyperosmotic, and hypoosmotic mean? a. Why does this matter for the diffusion of salts and water? Isosmotic, Hyperosmotic, Hypoosmotic: Isosmotic: Internal and external solute concentrations are equal. Hyperosmotic: Internal solute concentration is higher than external. Hypoosmotic: Internal solute concentration is lower than external. Diffusion: Water moves from low to high solute concentration; salts move down their concentration gradient. Why it Matters for Diffusion of Salts and Water: Hyperosmotic organisms gain water and lose salts to the environment. Hypoosmotic organisms lose water and gain salts. Osmosis (water movement) and diffusion (salt movement) occur to balance these differences. 4. What is water potential? a. How does water flow relative to water potential? b. What factors shape water potential in a plant? Water Potential: The potential energy of water; water flows from high to low water potential. Factors: Solute potential, matric potential, pressure potential. 5. How do terrestrial animals gain and lose water? Water Gain/Loss in Terrestrial Animals: Gain: Drinking, food, absorption. Loss: Evaporation, secretion. 6. How do terrestrial plants gain and lose water? Water Gain/Loss in Terrestrial Plants: Gain: Absorption by roots. Loss: Transpiration, secretion. 7. Be generally familiar with some adaptations mentioned in class toward water regulation in land plants and animals. Adaptations for Water Regulation: Animals: Behavioral changes, metabolic water production, efficient excretion. Plants: Deep roots, altered leaf structure, different photosynthetic pathways (C3, C4, CAM). 8. How does osmoregulation vary between fishes living in salt versus fresh water? Osmoregulation in Fishes: Saltwater Fish: Drink seawater, excrete excess salts, produce concentrated urine. Freshwater Fish: Do not drink water, absorb salts, produce dilute urine
