B3 Flashcards
What are the 3 roles Kidneys perform?
- Removal of urea from the blood
- Adjustment of ion levels in the blood
- Adjustment of water content of the blood
Where is urea produced?
In the liver from the breakdown of excess amino acids
How do kidneys perform these roles
By filtering stuff out of the blood under high pressure and then reabsorbing the useful things. The end product is urine
What are nephrons
They are the filtration units in the kidneys
Describe ultrafiltration
- A high pressure is built up which squeezes water, urea, ions and glucose out of the blood and into the Bowman’s capsule
- The glomerulus and the Bowman’s capsule act like filters, so big molecules like proteins and blood cells are not squeezed out. They stay in the blood
What happens in reabsorption
- All the glucose is selectively reabsorbed- it’s moved out of the nephron back into the blood against the concentration gradient.
- Sufficient water is reabsorbed, according to the level of the hormone ADH. The process of maintaining the right water content in the body is called osmoregulation
Release of wastes
Urea and excess water are not reabsorbed
They continue out of the nephron, into the ureter and down to the bladder as urine. Urine is released through the urethra.
How is water content regulated in the kidneys?
By a negative feedback system
The amount of water reabsorbed in the kidney nephron is controlled by Anti diuretic hormone
Describe the negative feedback system that regulates water content
The brain monitors the water content of the blood and instructs the pituitary gland to release ADH into the blood according to how much is needed
Negative feedback
Where changes in the environment trigger a response that counteracts the changes. This means that the internal environment tends to stay around a norm, the level at which the cells work best.
If the water content gets too high or low, negative feedback brings it back to normal
When there is too much water…
Pituitary gland releases less ADH
When there is too little water…
Pituitary gland releases more ADH
More ADH makes
The Kidney absorb more water
What is dialysis
Patients who have kidney failure can’t filter their blood properly so a dialysis machine does it for them
Dialysis has to be done regularly
Dialysis fluid has the same concentration of salts and glucose as blood plasma
Cell metabolism produces what?
Waste products like urea and carbon dioxide
How are egg cells specialised for reproduction
- contain nutrients in the cytoplasm to feed the embryo
- Straight after fertilisation the membrane changes to stop any more sperm getting in
- the egg contains a haploid nucleus
What is the main function of the egg
To carry the female DNA and to nourish the developing embryo in the early stages
What is the function of the sperm cell
To transport the males DNA to the female egg
How is the sperm cell specialised for reproduction
- small and have long tails to swim
- have lots of mitochondria in their middle section to provide energy to swim the distance
- acrosome at the front where enzymes they need to digest through egg membrane are stored
- contains haploid nucleus
Menstrual cycle
Day 1- uterus lining breaks down
Day 4 -14 - lining of the uterus builds up again
Day 14- egg is released from ovary
Day 28- if no egg is fertilised the lining breaks down again
FSH
Causes a follicle to mature in one of the ovaries
Stimulates oestrogen
Oestrogen
Causes the lining of the uterus to thicken and grow
High level stimulates an LH surge
LH
Stimulates ovulation at day 14, the follicle ruptures and the egg is released
Stimulates the remains of the follicle to develop into a corpus luteum which secrets progesterone
Progesterone
Maintains the lining of the uterus
Inhibits FSH and LH
When level falls, and there’s a low oestrogen level the uterus lining breaks down
A low progesterone level allows FSH to increase