Osmoconformers are animals that __________.

• A. expend considerable energy in matching concentrations of their body fluids with those of their marine environment
• B. rely on the digestive, respiratory, and excretory systems to remove excess salts and water from their bodies
• C. spontaneously absorb water through the body surface and lose solutes in urine
• D. spontaneously lose water through body surfaces and must actively unload ions and drink water to maintain osmotic homeostasis
• E. have an internal environment isoosmotic with their external environment

Answer: (E)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of osmoregulation: Osmoregulation is the process by which organisms regulate the water and solute concentration in their bodies to maintain homeostasis.
2. Define osmoconformers: Osmoconformers are organisms that maintain an internal environment that is isoosmotic to their external environment, meaning their body fluids have the same osmotic pressure as the surrounding seawater.
3. Identify the characteristics of osmoconformers: They do not expend energy to regulate their internal osmotic pressure because it naturally matches the external environment.
4. Differentiate from osmoregulators: Unlike osmoregulators, which actively control their internal osmotic pressure, osmoconformers passively match their internal environment to the external conditions.
5. Apply the definition to the problem: The correct answer is that osmoconformers have an internal environment isoosmotic with their external environment, meaning they do not need to actively regulate their internal osmotic conditions.