BOUYANCY (Coursework Sample)

Neutral Buoyancy Author Institutional Affiliation COURSE####: Course Title Instructor Name Date a) Bony fish Bony fish possess a specialized organ for maintaining buoyancy known as swim bladder. Typically, Lohner (2018) argues that this organ is an air sack inside the body of the fish which fills with oxygen absorbed through the gills. For the fish to remain neutral buoyant, it needs to displace water that is equal to its body weight. Whenever the swim bladder fills with oxygen, the fish swells and displaces more water. This water is heavier than its body weight allowing the fish to float to the surface. To sink to the floor of the water body, the swim bladder deflates. The fish decreases in size and displaces a smaller amount of water that is lesser than its body. This presents the simple mechanism by which bony fish are able to maintain neutral buoyancy. It is all a matter of deflating and inflating the swim bladder to maintain perfect neutral buoyancy. b) Sharks Sharks maintain neutral buoyancy by the help of a large oil-filled liver. The oil contained in the liver has lower density than that of water. Sharks have a dense body weight and would sink in the absence of the oil-filled liver. According to Boumis (n.d.), the oil-filled liver enhances the buoyancy of the shark. Therefore, sharks possess neutral buoyancy as a result of the oily liver. Unlike the case with bony fish, sharks would still sink even with the help of the oil-filled liver. This is why they must keep swimming actively to remain buoyant. This is where the pectoral fins come in to assist the sharks to adjust their levels underwater accordingly. The force from the tail pushes the shark forward. The shark then adjusts the pectoral fins accordingly to switch swimming levels. The shark relies upon the oil-filled liver and its propulsion system of fins to attain neutral buoyancy. c) Squids Squids have a different system for maintaining neutral buoyancy known as ammonia‐mediated buoyancy. The squid actively stores ammonia in body tissues. The region of storage varies from species to species. The ammonia rich body fluids in the squids are less dense than sea water. According to O’Shea (2019), the squid stores the ammonia solution in the body and relies on chemical buoyancy. The ammonia solution and sea water are isosmotic. Therefore, the squid can absorb or lose water from the surrounding sea water. Squids are able to replace ammonia in the coelom since it is a byproduct of excretion. The isosmotic function allows squids to adjust their density relative to the sea water to attain neutral buoyancy. Increased concentration of ammonia in the body makes the squid lighter and rises. On the other hand, lo ammonia content increases its weight. The squid relies on this adjustment mechanism to attain neutral buoyancy. d) Nautilus The nautilus derives neutral buoyancy from specialized compression of gases. This occurs under water even at great depths. According to Hall (2018), the nautil...