Excretory System Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is ammonia in excretion?
A toxic nitrogenous waste excreted by aquatic animals; requires lots of water to dilute.
What is urea?
A less toxic nitrogenous waste formed in the liver and excreted by mammals and amphibians.
What is uric acid?
A low-toxicity, paste-like waste excreted by insects, birds, and reptiles; conserves water.
What are protonephridia?
Excretory structures in flatworms that use flame cells to filter waste and expel it through pores.
What are metanephridia?
Excretory organs in annelids that collect coelomic fluid and expel waste through nephridiopores.
What are Malpighian tubules?
Excretory structures in insects that remove nitrogenous waste from hemolymph and add it to feces.
What are the kidneys?
Organs that filter blood and form urine; consist of the renal cortex, renal medulla, and renal pelvis.
What is the renal cortex?
The outer layer of the kidney where filtration begins.
What is the renal medulla?
The inner part of the kidney that contains the loops of Henle and collecting ducts.
What is the renal pelvis?
The funnel-like structure in the kidney that collects urine before it enters the ureter.
What is the ureter?
A tube that carries urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder.
What is the urinary bladder?
A muscular sac that stores urine until excretion.
What is a nephron?
The functional unit of the kidney responsible for filtering blood and forming urine.
What is the glomerulus?
A cluster of capillaries in the nephron where filtration of blood begins.
What is Bowman’s capsule?
A cup-like structure that surrounds the glomerulus and collects filtrate.
What is the proximal tubule?
The first segment of the nephron tubule where reabsorption of nutrients and ions occurs.
What is the descending loop of Henle?
A part of the nephron that reabsorbs water and concentrates the filtrate.
What is the ascending loop of Henle?
A part of the nephron that reabsorbs salts but is impermeable to water.
What is the distal tubule?
The part of the nephron that fine-tunes salt and pH balance of the filtrate.
What is the collecting duct?
The final part of the nephron that collects urine and can reabsorb water under hormonal control.
