Kidney

• Osmoregulation is process involving hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and kidney; it maintains water potential of blood plasma (hence tissue fluid), allowing toxic nitrogenous metabolic waste products to be excreted in urine
• Make urine by filtering waste products from blood, which is transported by ureter tubes from the kidney to the bladder, which stores urine temporarily, urethra tube transports urine from the bladder to the outside of the body
• Urinary system: Two kidneys (back and top of abdomen), two narrow muscular ureter tubes (one for each kidney), and a urethra tube; each kidney gets oxygenated blood via a renal artery and drains deoxygenated blood into a renal vein
• Kidney consists of outer cortex, inner medulla and a fibrous capsule, medulla is made of 12 wedge-shaped structures (renal pyramids); apex of each projects onto cavity called the renal pelvis that narrows to become ureter
• Nephron Diagram

  A) Efferent arteriole

  B) Glomerulus

  C) Malpighian Body

  D) Afferent arteriole

  E) Bowman's capsule

  F) renal artery

  G) renal vein

  H) Loop of Henle

  I) Descending limb

  J) Ascending limb

  K) Distil convoluted tubule

  L) Proximal convoluted tubule

  M) collecting duct