AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Water has a large heat capacity which helps limit changes in body temperature in a warm or cold environment. Water allows the body to release heat when the temperature is higher than body temperature. The body begins to sweat and the evaporation of water from the skin surface very efficiently cools the body.

Detailed explanation-2: -Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. According to Mitchell and others (1945), the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%.

Detailed explanation-3: -The body water has an important role as a thermoregulator, regulating the overall body temperature by helping dissipate heat. If the body becomes too hot, water is lost through sweat and the evaporation of this sweat from the skin surface removes heat from the body.

Detailed explanation-4: -Water has a high specific heat, meaning it takes more energy to increase the temperature of water compared to other substances.

Detailed explanation-5: -Water’s extensive capability to dissolve a variety of molecules has earned it the designation of “universal solvent, ” and it is this ability that makes water such an invaluable life-sustaining force. On a biological level, water’s role as a solvent helps cells transport and use substances like oxygen or nutrients.