Describe the usefulness of water in biosphere and biological systems.

Explanation

Water is a vital body fluid and is essential for all forms of life. Moreover, water possesses much higher values for freezing point, boiling point, heat of fusion and heat of vaporisation than the expected ones due to the presence of hydrogen bonding.
The abnormal physical properties of water play a vital role in the biosphere. The high heat of vaporisation and the high heat capacity of water are responsible for the moderating influence of water on the climate and on the body temperature of living organisms. The higher boiling point of water is helpful to keep it in the liquid state at ordinary temperature, otherwise there would have been no water left in the liquid state on earth. Water is an excellent solvent. Even the covalent organic compounds such as alcohols and carbohydrates dissolve to a considerable extent in water due to their ability to form hydrogen bonds with water molecules. Due to its great solubilising action, it provides an excellent means to transport ions and molecules to plants and animals needed for their metabolism. Thus, water is highly useful in biosphere and biological systems.