An albatross spending its life hovering over the ocean provides an extreme example of __________, the process by which animals control solute concentrations and balance water gain and loss.

• A. Hydration
• B. evaporation
• C. osmosis
• D. excretion
• E. osmoregulation

Answer: (E)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Begin by understanding the concept of osmoregulation. Osmoregulation is the process by which living organisms maintain the balance of water and solutes within their bodies, ensuring that their internal environment remains stable despite external changes.
2. Consider the environment in which the albatross lives. It spends much of its life over the ocean, where it is exposed to saltwater. This environment poses challenges for maintaining water and solute balance.
3. Recognize that osmoregulation involves mechanisms to control the intake and excretion of water and solutes. For the albatross, this means managing the salt concentration in its body while ensuring it retains enough water.
4. Differentiate osmoregulation from other processes like hydration, evaporation, osmosis, and excretion. Hydration refers to the intake of water, evaporation is the loss of water as vapor, osmosis is the passive movement of water across membranes, and excretion is the removal of waste products.
5. Conclude that osmoregulation is the correct term for the process by which the albatross controls solute concentrations and balances water gain and loss, as it actively regulates its internal environment to adapt to the salty oceanic conditions.