Excretory System Review sheet

-by Kevin, Mia, and Ziyan

Textbook: Ch. 31

Excretion- process of removing wastes and excess substances from the organism, also
removes excess heat from the body
Urine- dilute solution of made up of water, mineral salts, ammonia, and urea
Topics
1. Structures of the Urinary System
-Liver-Converts ammonia to urea
-Ureter-Tube where urine leaves the kidneys
-Urethra-Way urine leaves the body
-Urinary Bladder-Holds Urine
-Kidneys-Makes urea into urine
-Renal pelvis: hollow collecting chamber of urine
-Renal medulla: outside the renal pelvis
-Renal cortex: covers the renal medulla
-Renal artery: blood flows through here to the kidneys to be filtered
-Renal veins: filtered blood leaves from kidneys through here
2. Urinary System maintains Homeostasis
-Regulates Blood PH
-Removes toxins+drugs
-Regulates Oxygen levels
-Keeps important nutrients
3. Path of Urine
-Kidneys > Ureters > Bladder > Urethra > Excretion
4. Structure of a Nephron
-Bowmans capsule: cup like structure
-Glomerulus (Filtration): mass of capillaries, water, nutrients, and wastes are filtered from the
glomerulus capillaries into Bowman's capsule
-Loop of Henle: long in the desert environments (dry), short in aquatic habitats (wet)
-Proximal tubule: (Tubular reabsorption) most water and nutrients are reabsorbed from the
filtrate into the blood
-Distal tubule: (Tubular secretion) additional wastes are secreted into the tubule from the blood
-Collecting duct: (Concentration) additional water may be reabsorbed into the blood, creating
urine more concentrated than the blood, transports urine to renal pelvis
5. Formation of Urine in Nephrons
-Filtration
-Tubular Reabsorption

-Tubular Secretion
-Concentration
6. Urinary systems of other Organisms
-Malpighian tubes- excretory organs of grasshoppers and other insects, bathed directly in blood
-Nephridia- excretory organs of some invertebrates (ex: earthworm), more advanced than
Protonephridia
In these invertebrates, after going into the nephridia, then coelomic fluid flows into the
nephrostome. after collecting in a bladderlike sac, urine leaves the body through excretory pores.
-Protonephridia- simplest excretory structures, found in flatworms, uses flame cells (singlecelled, with cilia)
7. Hormones
-ADH-Regulates the amount of water reabsorbed by the proximal tubule
-Renin-Released by Kidneys, helps regulate blood pressure
-Angiotensin-Arteriole constricting, stimulated by Renin release
-Erythropoietin (EPO)-released by Kidneys, increases oxygen levels

8. Nitrogenous wastes
Most Fish and
aquatic
invertebrates

Mammals and
amphibians

Birds, insects, and

reptiles

Waste

Ammonia

Urea

Uric acid

Energy use

low

moderate

high

Water use:

high

moderate

low

toxin level

high

moderate

low