Excretory Unit Lesson 1: Urinary Organs Flashcards
(32 cards)
what is elimination
the removal of undigested material
what is excretion
the removal of metabolic wastes
does the digestive system perform elimination or excretion
it performs elimination
does the excretory system perform elimination or excretion
it performs excretion
explain the general function of the excretory system(aka the urinary system)
it removes metabolic wastes from the blood while reabsorbing useful molecules
what are the 4 specific roles of the excretory system
excretion of metabolic wastes, regulation of water and salt in blood, regulation of acid and base balance, and the secretion of hormones
what is osmoregulation
the regulation of water and salt in blood
what needs to be removed from the blood and why
the by-products of metabolism need to be removed because they accumulate in the blood
what is nitrogenous waste and why is it called that
the by-product molecules are referred to as nitrogenous waste because most of them contain nitrogen
what is urea
the by-product of amino acid metabolism
when is urea created
when the breakdown of amino acids in the liver create ammonia and it combines with carbon monoxides. then, urea is created
what is ammonia
a very toxic substance
how is creatine created
it is created with the breakdown of creatine phosphate
what is creatine phosphate
a high-energy molecule used in the muscles
how is uric acid created and describe its look in blood
it is formed from the breakdown of nucleotides (containing adenine and thymine). it is insoluble in blood and will exist as a precipitate
why is osmoregulation needed
the build-up of salts(and ions, etc.) and water can lead to hyper/hypotonicity or hyper/hypotension
what is the pH of blood
it has a slightly basic pH of 7.4
what does the kidney secrete in response to poor oxygen-carrying capacity and what does it do
erythropoietin(EPO), it causes the body to produce more red blood cells
what are the main organs in the excretory system
the kidneys
describe the look of kidneys and their location
they are paired organs that have a bean-like shape located towards the lower back on each side of the spine
what is renal capsule
a connective tissue that covers each kidney
what does each kidney have(hint renal ____)
it has a renal artery and a renal vein
what are kidneys composed of
smaller specialized structures called nephrons
what is the function of nephrons
they perform filtration of the blood and produce urine
