BIOL 302 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Great Salt Lake, Semipermeable Membrane, Calcium Carbonate
23 Sep 2017
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It is generally accepted that life began in water as simple bacteria: bacteria gave rise to an incredible number of species, some then evolved terrestrial capabilities and then returned back to the water. Water has many properties favourable to life: a(cid:271)u(cid:374)da(cid:374)t o(cid:448)er (cid:373)u(cid:272)h of the earth"s surfa(cid:272)e, mostly encountered in its liquid form, water also has an immense capacity to dissolve chemical processes of living systems. Density and viscosity of water: many aquatic animals possess adaptations that exploit the density and viscosity of water, ex. Hydrogen ions: extremely reactive with other compounds, concentration of hydrogen atoms is referred to as acidity. Biol302: population and evolu tionary ecology: evidently, hydrogen is essential for making certain nutrients available for life processes, at high concentrations, hydrogen ions negatively affect enzyme activity, also cause heavy metals to start dissolving in water (ex. Animals and plants face the challenge of water and salt balance.
