[Campbell Biology P.1031] Ammonia is a highly toxic nitrogenous waste product. Why is its exc... | Practice Question

Ammonia is a highly toxic nitrogenous waste product. Why is its excretion most common in aquatic animal species?

  • A: Ammonia is highly insoluble, allowing it to be excreted with minimal water loss.
  • B: Aquatic environments provide abundant water for diluting and diffusing ammonia away from the body.
  • C: The conversion of amino groups to ammonia is an energy-intensive process, favored by aquatic metabolism.
  • D: Aquatic animals have specialized organs that convert ammonia into less toxic forms before excretion.

Explanation

The text states that ammonia is highly toxic and can only be tolerated at very low concentrations, requiring animals that excrete it to have access to lots of water for dilution. Aquatic environments naturally provide this abundance of water, allowing for easy diffusion and loss of ammonia.