Importance of Water to Living Organisms

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August 27th, 2012 Period 2 Importance of Water to Living Organisms Water is a very influential molecule to living organisms. It is so important because of the properties it has, and the purposes it serves. It has so many purposes because of its characteristics that benefit so many living organisms; water has often been referred to as the universal solvent. Water has been called a universal solvent because of its polarity (a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule having an electric dipole). The polarity of water is caused by its molecular structure (arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule). This means it can easily ionize substances. Many compounds; whether ionic, polar or covalent will dissolve in it. For most organisms, substances must be dissolved in water for the nutrients to be absorbed. For example, plants can only obtain mineral salts in solution. More specifically, water can travel from soil to the top of a redwood through several steps. First, water will enter through the roots; eventually going through the epidermis, cortex, endodermis, and pericycle (by plasmodesmata). Secondly, the water will then enter the stele where it then will travel up the Xylem and be transported to wherever it is needed, even if it’s three hundred feet high. Overall this process is made possible by adhesion (the attraction between molecules of different substances). Adhesion causes water to rise up into stems and leaves through the xylem; the actual term for this is capillarity. Another benefit water has for the Redwood tree and other plants, would be a process it goes through called transpiration. Transpiration is when the plant cools off by having the water in the leaves evaporate. This is a great way to cool the Redwood off, mainly because of water’s high specific heat capacity (the capability of a substance to absorb

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