Question

Why does a salmon have to be an osmoregulator?

a) To maintain water balance in different environments
b) To regulate body temperature
c) To resist diseases
d) To enhance reproductive capabilities

Answer 1

Salmon are osmoregulators to maintain water balance between their internal body fluids and the varying salinity levels of freshwater and saltwater environments they inhabit during their life cycle.

Step-by-step explanation:

Salmon need to be osmoregulators in order to maintain water balance in different environments. During their life cycle, salmon migrate from saltwater, where they need to remove excess salt, to freshwater, where they must avoid taking in too much water. Osmoregulation is the process by which salmon and other fishes control the balance of water and salts necessary for their survival, despite the differing conditions between freshwater and saltwater habitats.

Salmon use a variety of mechanisms to survive in both environments, but the fundamental need for osmoregulation stems from the different osmotic pressures they encounter. In saltwater, fish cope with higher solute concentrations by excreting excess salt, while in freshwater, they face a hypotonic environment and need to urinate frequently to prevent water from flooding their cells and diluting vital ions.

Osmoregulators like salmon have complex regulatory systems that are essential to adapt to their changing environments and endure the stress caused by differences in water salinity, which is crucial for their survival and reproduction.