Structure

• What are the three main roles of the kidneys?

  Remove waste, regulate ions, regulate water
• What waste product do the kidneys remove from the blood?

  Urea
• How does blood flow through the kidneys?

  In through renal arteries, out through renal veins
• What is produced from the filtered blood in the kidneys?

  Urine
• What structure stores urine until it is excreted?

  Bladder
• What is the pathway of urine from the kidneys to excretion?

  Kidneys → ureters → bladder → urethra
• What is the first step in urine formation?

  Filtration in the glomerulus
• What is the glomerulus?

  A tangle of blood vessels
• What is Bowman's capsule?

  The start of the nephron tubule
• What substances can be filtered into Bowman's capsule?

  Water, amino acids, urea, glucose, ions
• What percentage of plasma is filtered through to Bowman's capsule?

  About 20 percent
• What happens to the fluid after it passes through the glomerulus?

  It passes along the tubules for reabsorption
• What is selective reabsorption?

  Reabsorbing useful substances back into blood
• Which substances are almost completely reabsorbed?

  Glucose and amino acids
• What is the order of parts in the nephron after Bowman's capsule?

  Proximal convoluted tubule, loop of Henle, distal convoluted tubule, collecting duct
• What is classified as urine?

  Fluid passing out of the collecting duct
• What happens to urine after it is formed?

  It passes down the ureter to the bladder
• What are the main components of the nephron?

  • Glomerulus
  • Bowman's capsule
  • Proximal convoluted tubule
  • Loop of Henle
  • Distal convoluted tubule
  • Collecting duct
• What is the overall process of urine formation in the kidneys?

  1. Filtration in the glomerulus
  2. Formation of filtrate in Bowman's capsule
  3. Selective reabsorption in tubules
  4. Excretion of urine through collecting duct