2004 AIPMT Excretory Products and their EliminationOsmoregulation in Protozoans Medium Question 1 of 2 in Osmoregulation in Protozoans

When a fresh water protozoan possessing a contractile vacuole, is placed in a glass containing marine water, the vacuole will-

A Disappear
B Increase in size
C Decrease in size
D Increase in number

The answer is A.

Solution

A freshwater protozoan such as Amoeba or Paramecium lives in a hypotonic medium. Water continuously enters its body by osmosis.
The contractile vacuole collects this excess water and pumps it out at intervals (osmoregulation).
Marine water is hypertonic (or nearly isotonic) to the protoplasm. In it, water no longer enters the cell; instead the cell tends to lose water.
With no excess water to remove, the contractile vacuole is no longer needed. It stops functioning and disappears (marine protozoans generally lack contractile vacuoles).
So the vacuole will disappear.

Concept Contractile vacuole in hypertonic medium

Osmoregulation in Protozoans in past papers

2 questions from this chapter have appeared across 2 exam years.