An albatross spending its life hovering over the ocean provides an extreme example of __________, the process by which animals control solute concentrations and balance water gain and loss.

Recognize that osmoregulation involves mechanisms to control the intake and excretion of water and solutes. For the albatross, this means managing the salt concentration in its body while ensuring it retains enough water.

Differentiate osmoregulation from other processes like hydration, evaporation, osmosis, and excretion. Hydration refers to the intake of water, evaporation is the loss of water as vapor, osmosis is the passive movement of water across membranes, and excretion is the removal of waste products.