why is water vital to maintaining a constant internal environment?
A. It is cohesive*
B. It is adhesive
C. It is a good solvent
D. It has a high specific heat
The correct answer is D. It has a high specific heat. Water is vital to maintaining a constant internal environment because of its high specific heat. Specific heat refers to the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance. Water has a high specific heat, meaning it can absorb and store a large amount of heat energy before its temperature increases significantly.
This property of water is vital for maintaining a constant internal environment in living organisms. When the external temperature changes, the high specific heat of water allows it to absorb a considerable amount of heat without large fluctuations in temperature. This helps to stabilize the body temperature of organisms.
To determine why water is vital to maintaining a constant internal environment, you can eliminate the other options. Cohesion, adhesion, and water's ability to act as a solvent are also important properties of water, but they do not directly contribute to maintaining a constant internal environment like high specific heat does.