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Chapter 13: Problem 62

Some fish live in saltwater environments and some in freshwater, but in either environment they need water to survive. Saltwater fish drink water, but freshwater fish do not. Explain this difference between the two types of fish.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The difference in behavior results from the different salt concentrations between their bodies and their environments, leading to different osmotic pressures. Saltwater fish drink to compensate for the water they lose to their environment through osmosis, while freshwater fish do not drink as they absorb water from their environment and excrete the excess.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Environments

The first step is to understand that the primary difference between saltwater and freshwater environments is their salt content. Saltwater environments, like the ocean, have a high salt content, while freshwater environments, like lakes and rivers, have a low salt content.
02

Understand Fish Biology and Osmosis

Fish, like other living organisms, need to maintain a certain balance of salt and water in their bodies for survival. This involves the process of osmosis, which is the movement of water from an area of low solute (here, salt) concentration to an area of high solute concentration.
03

Understand Saltwater Fish Behavior

Saltwater fish live in an environment with a high salt concentration, which is higher than the concentration of salt in their bodies. Due to osmosis, water in their bodies tends to move out into the environment, making them lose water. To compensate this, they drink lot of saltwater and excrete the excess salt.
04

Understand Freshwater Fish Behavior

On the other hand, freshwater fish live in an environment with a lower salt concentration than that in their bodies. So, water from the environment tends to move into their bodies. Therefore, freshwater fish don't need to drink water. They absorb it from their surrounding environment and excrete the excess.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Hydrogen chloride is a colorless gas, yet when a bottle of concentrated hydrochloric acid \([\mathrm{HCl}(\mathrm{conc} \text { aq) }]\) is opened, mist-like fumes are often seen to escape from the bottle. How do you account for this?

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