excretory

Cards (21)

  • Excretory system
    Helps to maintain water balance as well as excrete nitrogen and other toxic waste products from the body to the external environment
  • Excretory system
    • Two main functions:
    • Remove nitrogenous waste
    • Remove excess water to maintain water balance in cells and tissues
  • Removing nitrogenous waste

    Created by breaking down nitrogen containing compounds such as: Nucleotides, Amino acids
  • When nitrogenous wastes get built up in the body they become toxic so it is important that they get removed
  • Nitrogen waste are generated from the breakdown of amino acids
  • Amino acids are required for many bodily functions but cannot be stored in the body as the amine group toxic to cells
  • Any excess amino acids most be broken down to remove their amine groups and are excreted via ammonia
  • Kidneys
    • Filtering blood and removing waste materials and toxic substances
    • Providing water balance
  • Renal artery
    Carries blood from the heart to the kidney
  • Renal vein
    Carries blood from the kidney to the heart
  • Renal cortex
    Contains the glomerulus, the proximal and distal convoluted tubules of nephrons
  • Renal medulla

    Contains the loop of Henle and collecting tubule of each nephron
  • Renal pelvis
    Functions as a pathway for the urine before it moves to the bladder
  • Ureter
    Carries the urine from the renal pelvis to the bladder
  • The nephron
    • Key component of the kidney
    • Each kidney contains 1 million nephrons
    • Roles include: filter blood, remove toxic and waste products, reabsorb nutrients
    • Kidney filters 1.6L of blood daily
  • Glomerulus
    A ball of capillaries where the blood arrives to be filtered
  • Bowmans capsule
    Surround the glomerulus, where the filtrate is formed when blood pressure forces the fluid from the capillaries in the glomerulus
  • Proximal tube

    Absorbs water, sodium and glucose back into the blood
  • Loop of Henle
    Long tube where reabsorption takes place of water back into the blood as well as salt
  • Distal tubule
    Sodium and water are further reabsorbed
  • Collecting tubule
    More water is absorbed in here as well as salt this further concentrates the filtrate, then the filtrate is processed into urine