Kidney Flashcards Preview

A2 Biology > Kidney > Flashcards

Flashcards in Kidney Deck (10)
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1
Q

What is the basic structure/appearance of the kidney?

A
  • reddish/brown
  • attached to the back of the abdominal cavity
  • surrounded by a thick, protective layer of fat and a layer of fibrous connective tissue
2
Q

What are the 2 homestatic roles do kidneys have in the body?

A
  • excretion
    • filter nitrogenous waste products out of the blood, especially urea
  • osmoregulation
    • maintain the water balance and pH of blood
    • hence the tissue fluid that surrounds all the cells
3
Q

How are kidneys supplied with blood/

A
  • at arterialy by the renal arteries that branch of from the adominal aorta
  • blood that has ciculated the kidneys is removed by the renal vein
    • this drains blood into the inferior vena cava
4
Q

What are kidneys made up of?

A
  • millions of small structures called nephrons
    • act as filtering units
5
Q

How does urine pass from the kidney? Where does it end up?

A
  • passes out of the kidneys down tubes called ureters
  • collected in the bladder
6
Q

How does urine exit th e body?

A
  • when the bladder is getting full, the sphincter at the exit to the bladder open
  • urine passes out of the body down the urethra
7
Q

What are the three main area of the kidney that you can see if you slice it open?

A
  1. cortex
  2. medulla
  3. pelvis
8
Q

What is the cortex?

A
  • dark outer layer
  • this is where the filtering of the blood takes place
  • dense capillary network
    • capillaries carry the blood from the renal arter to the nephrons
9
Q

What is the medulla?

A
  • lighter in colour
  • contrains the tubuiles of the nephroms that forms the pyramids of the kidney and the collecting ducts
10
Q

What is the pelvis

A
  • latin for basin
  • central chamber where the urine collects before passing out down the ureter

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