Question

A marine fish is kept in fresh water :

(a) What would happen to the fish?

(b) Name the pressure develops inside the cells of the fish.

Answer 1

(a)

1. If a marine fish is kept in freshwater, freshwater acts as a hypotonic solution, water molecules move from the surroundings to inside the fish body due to endosmosis, which leads to the swelling of its cells and ultimately fish will die.
2. Fishes are highly sensitive to the minute fluctuation in the salinity of water, they are unable to regulate metabolic activities in changing environments.

(b) Turgor pressure develops inside the cells of fishes.

Turgor pressure :

1. When a cell is kept in water, it absorbs water due to endosmosis and becomes swell, it can not accommodate more water, and the cell becomes turgid.
2. The hydrostatic pressure exerted by cell sap on the cell wall is known as turgor pressure.
3. This pressure is balanced by wall pressure, but when turgor pressure is more than wall pressure, then cells get burst.