How does each property of water relate to or affect living things?
Each property of water plays a crucial role in supporting and affecting living things:
1. High heat capacity: Water has a high heat capacity, meaning it can absorb and store a large amount of heat without a significant increase in temperature. This property helps regulate temperature in living organisms, preventing sudden fluctuations that can be harmful.
2. Universal solvent: Water is often referred to as the "universal solvent" because it can dissolve a wide variety of substances. This makes it an excellent medium for transporting nutrients, hormones, and other essential molecules within living organisms.
3. Cohesion and surface tension: Water molecules have strong intermolecular forces, known as cohesion, which allows them to stick together. This property creates surface tension, which enables small organisms, like insects, to walk on water and helps plants transport water and nutrients against gravity.
4. Density: The density of water decreases as it freezes, causing ice to be less dense than liquid water. This unique property creates a layer of insulation on rivers, ponds, and lakes during winter, allowing aquatic organisms to survive beneath the frozen surface.
5. Hydrogen bonding: Water molecules form hydrogen bonds with each other, creating a network of interconnected molecules. This property gives water a high degree of cohesion, surface tension, and its ability to absorb large amounts of heat.
6. pH balance: Water acts as a neutral medium, maintaining the pH balance within living organisms. It can act as a buffer, resisting large changes in acidity or alkalinity.
All these properties make water an essential component for the existence and survival of living things, as it influences their habitats, metabolic processes, and overall functionality.