1. the physiological process by which an organism maintains the balance of water and dissolved salts in its body fluids
Usage: biology term; used in both animal and plant physiology

Examples

• Fish use osmoregulation to maintain proper salt concentrations in their blood despite living in saltwater or freshwater environments.
• The kidneys play a crucial role in osmoregulation by filtering excess water and salts from the blood.
• Desert plants have evolved special mechanisms for osmoregulation to conserve water in arid conditions.
• Osmoregulation allows marine mammals to drink seawater without becoming dehydrated.
• Students learned about osmoregulation in their biology class when studying how organisms adapt to different habitats.
• The hormone vasopressin helps regulate osmoregulation by controlling water reabsorption in the kidneys.