How does dissolved oxygen related to maintaining homeostasis in an organism?

Question

How does dissolved oxygen related to maintaining homeostasis in an organism?

Answer 1

Dissolved oxygen does not relate to organisms such as humans, it only relates to organisms that live in water and have gills which require dissolved oxygen to survive.  For such animals, a cool, turbulent stream which is plentiful in DO (dissolved oxygen) is an excellent habitat--it provides them with oxygen and enables them to speed up their metabolism, more rapidly applying energy towards growth, reproduction, etc.  On the other hand, a deep, polluted lake provides the same organisms with very little DO which they can use to function, thus they slow their metabolism down and keep it working at a rate proportional to the amount of DO available.  This in itself is maintaining homeostasis--the maintenance of a constant internal state by an organism.  By altering their metabolic rate, these organisms are maintaining a steady state in their body and not allowing excess oxygen to build up and at the same time not allowing oxygen levels to drop too low to function.