Water

• How does the properties of water relate to its function in temperature regulation?

  Water has a high heat capacity = absorbs a large amount of heat energy before rising‎ ‎‎in temperature

  Water has a large latent heat of vaporisation as energy is required to break the hydrogen bonds
• How does the properties of water relate to its function in metabolic reactions?

  Water is a metabolite in many reactions:

  • Including condensation and hydrolysis reactions
  • Required for photosynthesis
  • Metabolic product of respiration which is important for organisms that live in dry habitats
• How does the properties of water relate to its function as a solvent?

  Water is a solvent and is used:

  • To transport nutrients e.g. glucose in blood and sucrose in phloem of plants
  • To remove excretory products e.g. urea and ammonia
  • As a medium in which metabolic reactions can occur
• How does the properties of water relate to its function as a supporting molecule?

  Strong cohesive forces due to hydrogen bonding:

  • Supports water columns in tube-like transport cells e.g. xylem of plants, allowing transport from roots to leaves
  • Produces surface tension where tension meets air which enables insects to walk on the surface of water (e.g. pond skaters) or be suspended at surface (e.g. mosquito larvae)