The Excretory System Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is excretion?
Excretion is the process of getting rid of waste products
What are 3 excretory organs?
Skin
Lungs
Kidney
Liver*
What does skin excrete?
Sweat
What do lungs excrete?
Co2 Carbon dioxide
What do kidneys excrete?
Urine
What does the liver excrete? *
Amino acids, urea
What are two functions of the urinary system?
Removes waste from blood
Regulates the body’s fluids and mineral salts
5 processes of the urinary system:
Filtration
Absorption
Diffusion
Excretion
Filtration
The kidneys remove waste substances such as urea, uric acid, unwanted salts and excess water from blood to make urine
Absorbtion
Useful substances are absorbed back into the blood such as glucose and amino acids
Diffusion
The process where molecules of substances move from a high concentration to a low concentration until there is a balance
Excretion
Removal of waste substances from the body
Kidneys
Filters waste substances from the blood
Bladder
Stores urine temporarily
Ureter
Tube that takes urine from the kidneys to the bladder
Urethra
Tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body
Renal artery
Blood vessel that brings blood that contains wastes to the kidney
Renal vein
Carries cleaned blood away from the kidney
Sphincter
Ring of muscle at the base of the bladder that controls the release of urine
Renal failure
Kidneys do not function
Treatment: dialysis or kidney transplant
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Bladder infection: caused by bacteria
Treatment: antibiotics
Kidney stones
Crystals of mineral salts form in the urinary tract
Treatment: pain medication, shock wave therapy, surgery
Nephron
The functional unit of the kidney (tube along which urine is finally produced). The kidney consists of millions of nephrons
What happens at / by nephrons?
Each nephron is surrounded by tiny blood vessels (capillaries). There is an exchange of substances from the capillaries to the nephron. The end product is the urine that will be excreted at that time.
