The amount of water in the body is important.

If there is too much, the volume of blood

swells and this puts stress on the heart. Too little water and fluid will be drawn from the
tissues (due to the osmotic effect of plasma proteins) and in to the blood. This causes
problems for the tissues involved (a hangover is caused by this). The water content of the
body will vary throughout the day. After fluids are drank the water levels rise. Sweating
causes water to be lost. The water content of the body must be monitored to keep it between
acceptable limits.

A part of the brain called the hypothalamus monitors the concentration of the blood. If the
concentration is too weak then it does nothing. The kidney therefore gets rid of more water,
making the urine more dilute.

If the blood is too concentrated then water needs to be conserved. The hypothalamus
stimulates a gland called the pituitary gland which releases a hormone called Anti-Diuretic
Hormone (ADH). This travels via the blood to the kidney. There, it makes the collecting duct
reabsorb more water and put it back into the blood. This makes the urine more concentrated
as more water is reabsorbed. When the levels of water return to their normal levels, it has
the effect of reducing the amount of ADH released and so prevents more water being
reabsorbed. This is called negative feedback and is a way of controlling the reabsorption of
water.

The length of the loop of Henle is linked to water reabsorption. The longer the loop the more
water can be reabsorbed. Animals, which do no need to worry about water loss, have
relatively short loop (such as beavers), while animals, which need to conserve water loss,
need to have relatively long loops (such as a desert rat).

Weather can have an effect on water loss from the body. Generally in summer, more water is
lost through sweat and so it needs to be conserved. Urine is more concentrated and smaller
in volume in warm conditions. The reverse is true in cold weather.