Case Study Harlequin Tuskfish

252 Words1 Page

The loss of water to the external environment is a problem that all marine fish must deal with. This is because the water contains a higher concentration of solutes (salt) than the fish does (hyperosmotic to the internal environment). This results in an osmotic gradient in which water is lost from the fish to the environment and ions are gained by diffusion. And so the marine fish must continuously drink water to keep hydrated, while the ions are actively regulated by specialised glands via excretion. This is the case with Harlequin tuskfish, which need to constantly drink water and excrete ions to maintain a stable internal environment. The Harlequin tuskfish, like all marine fish has gills that excrete salt, and a reduced, inefficient (in

Open Document