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Seawater contains salts as well as other minerals in its suspension, therefore it is hypertonic to drinking water.

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Why would drinking seawater lead to dehydration?

Seawater has certain salt in it, in your cell you have an area of high concentration and there is an area of low concentration outside the cell causing the water inside the cell to leave (this process is hypertonic). Making the cell basically die...technically, the salt inside that water can actually dehydrate you instead of keep you alive, so you would die.


Why cell swells or shrinks when placed in rainwater or sea water?

Cells swell or shrink when placed in rainwater or seawater due to osmosis, which is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane. In hypotonic solutions like rainwater (lower solute concentration), water enters the cell, causing it to swell. Conversely, in hypertonic solutions like seawater (higher solute concentration), water leaves the cell, leading to shrinkage. This process is driven by the concentration gradient of solutes inside and outside the cell.


Why is the rate of dehydration greater in seawater than in fresh lake water?

The rate of dehydration is greater in seawater because seawater has a higher salt concentration compared to fresh lake water. When you drink seawater, the body has to work harder to eliminate the excess salt through urine, ultimately leading to more water loss and increased dehydration.


What bodily process do saltwater fish need to carry out order to maintain Homeostasis?

Saltwater fish need to actively regulate their internal salt concentration to maintain homeostasis. They achieve this by drinking large amounts of seawater and excreting excess salt through specialized cells in their gills and urine. Additionally, they conserve water by producing concentrated urine, which helps prevent dehydration in the hypertonic environment of the ocean. This balance allows them to thrive in their saline habitat.


How would the contractile vacuole of a freshwatee amoeba respond is the organism was placed in seawater?

If a freshwater amoeba is placed in seawater, the contractile vacuole would likely decrease its activity or stop functioning altogether. This is because seawater is hypertonic compared to the amoeba's internal environment, leading to water loss from the cell. As a result, the amoeba would not need to expel excess water, and the contractile vacuole's role in osmoregulation would become less critical. Ultimately, the organism may struggle to survive in the saline environment.

Related Questions

Explain why it is not enough just to say that a solution is hypertonic?

hypertonic and hypotonic are relative terms. A solution that is hypertonic to tap H2O could be hypotonic to seawater. In using these terms, you must provide a comparison, as in 'the solution is hypertonic to the cells cytoplasm'.


Why should be drink seawater during dehydration?

Sea water is different to our body water levels. Sea water contains a lot of salts and by drinking sea water, we would ultimately be altering our isotonic levels. It has to do with osmosis and water gradients. I don't really think you should drink seawater during dehydration as it will only serve to dehydrate you more, as you are removing more water and replacing with salt, thus causing a hypotonic environment for your cells.


Why would drinking seawater lead to dehydration?

Seawater has certain salt in it, in your cell you have an area of high concentration and there is an area of low concentration outside the cell causing the water inside the cell to leave (this process is hypertonic). Making the cell basically die...technically, the salt inside that water can actually dehydrate you instead of keep you alive, so you would die.


What will happen if red blood cells are transferred to seawater?

as u know, seawater is salty ,that is hypertonic.. when u place RBC in sea water it will swell and then burst.


What is the name of the sickness from drinking seawater?

ggg


What is really cheap?

water, drinking or seawater


Why seawater is not good for drinking and agriculture?

salt water


Marine animals that have body fluids with a solute concentration equal to that of the surrounding seawater are said to be?

osmoconformers


Does sailors are strongly advised not to drink seawater when they are shipwrecked?

That's right. Drinking seawater will eventually kill a person.


What is the process called to produce drinking water from seawater?

Distillation.


Why cell swells or shrinks when placed in rainwater or sea water?

Cells swell or shrink when placed in rainwater or seawater due to osmosis, which is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane. In hypotonic solutions like rainwater (lower solute concentration), water enters the cell, causing it to swell. Conversely, in hypertonic solutions like seawater (higher solute concentration), water leaves the cell, leading to shrinkage. This process is driven by the concentration gradient of solutes inside and outside the cell.


What would happen to a person blood osmolality when drinking seawater?

When you drink seawater, a high concentration of salt finds its way into your blood vessels. As a result, you have a higher concentration of solutes (salt molecules, in this case) on the outside of your blood cells than in your blood cells-- there is a hypertonic solution on the outside of the blood cells. Your body wants to keep solutions isotonic across the membranes-- that means your body wants the same amount of free water molecules on the inside of the blood cells as the outside-- so water molecules move out of the blood cells in order to keep the balance of free water molecules. The water moving out of the blood cells cause them to "crenate," or shrink, which is of course not very good for your cells.