Question

1. a child collected some snails from the shallow ocean water on a beach. when the child got home, he placed the snails in clean tap water in a fish bowl. the snails died. please draw a diagram and use the concept of tonicity to explain why the snails were not able to survive in the fish bowl. the snail died because the regular tap water did not have as much salt as the ocean water. ocean water is hypertonic and has a higher solute concentrate unlike the regular tap water.

Explanation:

Ocean water is hypertonic relative to the snails' body fluids, meaning it has a higher solute (salt) concentration. Tap water is hypotonic, with a much lower solute concentration than both ocean water and the snails' internal fluids. Due to tonicity, water moves by osmosis from an area of lower solute concentration (tap water) to higher solute concentration (inside the snail's cells). This causes the snail's cells to swell and eventually rupture, leading to the snails' death.

A simple diagram would show:

1. A snail cell with internal solute concentration labeled as similar to ocean water.
2. Two external environments: one labeled "Ocean Water (Hypertonic)" with equal water movement in/out of the cell, and one labeled "Tap Water (Hypotonic)" with a large arrow pointing into the cell, indicating net water influx, and the cell shown swollen.

Answer:

The snails died because of osmosis driven by tonicity differences:

1. Ocean water is hypertonic, matching the snails' internal solute balance, so their cells maintained normal water levels.
2. Tap water is hypotonic (far lower salt concentration than the snails' cells). Water moved into the snails' cells via osmosis, causing the cells to swell and burst, leading to the snails' death.

Diagram Description:

• Left: Snail cell in ocean water: Equal small arrows show water moving in and out of the cell; cell shape is normal.
• Right: Snail cell in tap water: Large arrow pointing into the cell shows net water influx; cell is visibly swollen/rounded, indicating damage.