Question

What is the main source of uric acid for commercial production?
A. Waste matter deposited by seabirds (Guano).
B. Waste matter deposited by woodlouse (a land crustacean).
C. From the remains of some sea algae.
D. From the waste matter deposited by bony fishes.

Answer 1

Hint: Uric acid is a type of excretory waste that is excreted out by various organisms across several phyla. It is a heterocyclic compound of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. It is produced commercially because it is considered an excellent fertilizer.

Complete answer: Waste matter deposited by seabirds (Guano): Guano is a member of the Aves. They are birds. All birds are uricotelic. Hence, the waste matter deposited by birds has high quantities of uric acid in it. Also, guano deposits large quantities of waste matter. So, it is used for the commercial production of uric acid.
-Waste matter deposited by woodlouse (a land crustacean): Crustaceans belong to the phylum Arthropoda. These animals have green glands or antennary glands for excretion. They excrete out uric acid. Hence, they are uricotelic animals. However, the waste matter of woodlouse or crustaceans is not used for the commercial production of uric acid. This is because the waste matter deposited is in very small quantities and the extraction of uric acid is a very costly affair from it.
-From the remains of some sea algae: Sea algae is a plant basically. So, it does not have any excretory products. However, when they die, they decompose to form ammonia.
-From the waste matter deposited by bony fishes: Bony fishes are ammonotelic. This means that their excretory product is ammonia.
Thus, based on the above information we can conclude that the main source of uric acid for commercial production is the waste matter deposited by seabirds (Guano).
Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: Uricotelic organisms means those organisms which excrete out uric acid as waste material. This is an adaptation to conserve water. This is because water is not available for excretion. And excretion of urea requires a lot of water as urea needs high quantities of water to dissolve. So, some animals convert the urea into uric acid, because it does not require water for its excretion.