Question

The advantage of excreting nitrogenous wastes as urea instead of ammonia is that:________ a) urea requires more water for excretion than ammonia b) urea is less toxic than ammonia c) urea can be exchanged for Na+ d) urea requires less energy to produce than ammonia

Answer 1

Answer: B

Explanation:

Ammonia is so toxic that it can be transported and excreted only in large volumes of very dilute solution. As a result most terrestrial animals simply don't have access to sufficient water to routine excrete ammonia.

The main advantage of urea is its very low toxicity. Animals can transport urea in the circulatory system and store it safely in high concentrations. Also much less water is loss when a given quantity of nitrogen is excreted in a concentrated solution of urea than would be in a dilute solution of ammonia.