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Question #46703
The Question
Bony fishes (Osteichthyes) utilize a swim bladder for buoyancy and gills for respiration, allowing their general body surface to remain relatively impermeable. If an adult frog were forced to permanently adapt to a hyperosmotic, high-buoyancy aquatic environment, which fundamental physiological trade-off would most severely restrict its evolutionary success?
Options
- A.
The requirement of a highly permeable, large surface area for cutaneous respiration directly contradicts the need for a low-permeability integument to prevent massive osmotic water loss.
- B.
The absence of a swim bladder forces the frog to rely entirely on pulmonary respiration for buoyancy, rendering its skin impermeable and useless for gas exchange.
- C.
Adult frogs are strictly ammonotelic in aquatic environments, requiring a massive water influx that is physically prevented by a streamlined, low-surface-area body shape.
- D.
The presence of an operculum in adult amphibians restricts the continuous flow of water over the skin, making cutaneous respiration inefficient in high-density environments.
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Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Evolutionary_Exception
Tackle problems where standard rules evolve or change based on specific environmental constraints.
Concepts Behind This Question
Frog Integumentary Respiration|Chondrichthyes vs. Osteichthyes Buoyancy|Osmoregulation in Aquatic Adaptations
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: This question tests the synthesis of two distinct NCERT chapters: 'Breathing and Exchange of Gases' (cutaneous respiration) and 'Excretory Products and their Elimination' (osmoregulation).
The common misconception is viewing physiological systems in isolation.
Students often fail to recognize that the integument in amphibians serves dual, sometimes conflicting, roles.
A highly permeable skin is excellent for breathing but disastrous for osmoregulation in hyperosmotic environments, explaining why amphibians are largely restricted to freshwater or moist terrestrial habitats.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Structural Organisation in Animals - Class 11 |
| Concept | Frog Integumentary Respiration |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |