Osmosis
Definition of Osmosis:
The diffusion of water through a semipermeable membrane from a solution with a lower to one with a higher solute concentration. [1]
This is the common definition for Osmosis, other definitions can be discussed in the article
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Contents
Related definitions[2]
Osmolality
Osmotic pressure of a solution, i.e. measurement of the amount of osmotically effective solutes in a given solvent. It is commonly expressed in osmols per kilogram of solvent.
Isosmotic intracellular regulation
Cellular mechanisms that, upon a change in surrounding salinity, lead to the adjustment of the intracellular osmotic pressure to meet that of the environment, thus minimizing variations in cell hydration.
Anisosmotic extracellular osmoregulation
Mechanisms acting to maintain body (extracellular) fluid volume, osmotic pressure and ionic composition despite environmental salinity changes, usually through secretion of excess water or excess salt.
Osmoregulators
Species that carry out anisosmotic extracellular regulation when exposed to extracellular osmolality changes. This is achieved through several mechanisms involving various permeability and salt transport properties within different ion-transporting epithelia.
Osmoconformers
Species that maintain their internal medium isosmotic to their environment, minimizing water fluxes across membranes.
See also the article Salinity.
References
- ↑ Pinet P.R. 1998. Invitation to Oceanography. Jones and Barlett Publishers. p. 508
- ↑ Rivera-Ingraham, G.A. and Lignot, J-H. 2017. Osmoregulation, bioenergetics and oxidative stress in coastal marine invertebrates: raising the questions for future research. Journal of Experimental Biology 220: 1749-1760
