4.

EXCRETION

4. EXCRETION



INTRODUCTION
• There are various metabolic activities which take place inside the living organisms.
• All these activities are chemical reactions. As a result of these chemical reactions several
end products are formed. These end products are harmful or not useful to the body. These
are called as metabolic wastes.
• These must be removed from the body for proper functioning of the body.
  Excretion : The elimination of all metabolic waste products from the body is called as
excretion.
• Waste materials are ammonia, urea, uric acid, carbon dioxide, pigments, salts, excess of
water etc.
• Ammonia, urea, uric acid are nitrogenous waste products.
 Defaecation or egestion is the removal of indigestible substances from the body, i.e. the
passage of faecal matter through the anus. The difference lies in the fact that the faecal matter
is not produced by metabolism. Secretion is the production of useful substances, such as
enzymes and hormones, by metabolism.

A. EXCRETION IN ANIMALS
(a) Types of Animals on the basis of excretory matter they release :
(i) Ammonotelic : Excrete nitrogenous waste as ammonia e.g.Platyhelminthes, Fishes.
(ii) Uricotelic : Excrete nitrogenous waste as uric acid e.g. birds, reptiles.
(iii) Ureotelic : Excrete nitrogenous waste as urea. e.g. mammals, adult amphibians.
(b) Excretion in Amoeba :
 • Amoeba is an ammonotelic organism since the principal excretory product is ammonia.
 • Special excretory organelle is absent in Amoeba. CO2 and ammonia are excreted by diffusion
in water through plasma membrane.
 • The concentration of ammonia is always higher in Amoeba than in the surrounding water.
 • Ammonia is formed in cytoplasm of Amoeba by metabolism.
 • The water enters through plasma membrane by “endosmosis”. Thus excess of water (surplus
water) is discharged in the surrounding water or maintain the mineral and water balance in the
Amoeba, this phenomenon of controlling the amount of water & mineral in the body is called
as “osmoregulation”.
 • In Amoeba osmoregulation maintain by contractile vacuole.
(c) Excretory organs of different animal groups :
S.NO. ANIMAL GROUPS EXCRETORY ORGANS
1. Protozoans (e.g. Amoeba, Plasma membrane.
Paramecium)
2. Sponges (e.g. Sycon) Plasma membrane of each cell.
3. Cnidaria (e.g. Hydra) Plasma membrane of each cell.
4. Platyhelminthes (e.g. Planaria) Flame cells (Solenocytes).
5. Nemathelminthes (e.g. Ascaris) H-shaped excretory system of canals and
renette cells.
6. Annelids (e.g. Neries, Earthworm) Nephridia; chloragogen cells (yellow cells)
in earthworm.
7. Arthropods
(a) Prawn Green glands
(b) Most insects Malpighian tubules, coxal glands
(c) scorpion and spiders Malpighian tubules, coxal glands
8. Molluscs (e.g. Unio, Pila) Kidney, In Unio kidneys are called organs of
Bojanus.
9. Echinoderms (e.g. Starfish) Dermal branchiae and tube feet.
10. Hemichordates (e.g. Glomerulus.
Balanoglossus)

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4. EXCRETION
(d) Excretion in human :
As a result of various metabolic processes going on in our body a number of waste products are
formed. These have to be eliminated as they are toxic to the body.
 (i) Various excretory products:
(I) Carbon dioxide which is liberated during respiration and is eliminated by the lungs.
(II) Nitrogenous metabolic wastes, such as urea and uric acid produced in the liver from
excessive proteins.
(III) Bile pigments : Bile pigments (e.g., bilirubin & biliverdin) derived by the breaking down of
haemoglobin of the erythrocytes.
(IV) Excess salts, water and vitamins : Concentration of these substances above the required
level, is harmful to the body.
(ii) Organs of excretion in humans :
(I) Lungs : Carbon dioxide produced by the oxidation of glucose or other food substances in the
tissues is removed by the blood.
 • This carbon dioxide is carried to the lungs through the blood vessels (veins) where it diffuses
into the alveoli and out through the respiratory tract.
  • Water vapour in small amount is also exhaled during expiration from the lungs.
(II) Skin : Substances like water, dissolved mineral salts, traces of urea and uric acid diffuse from
the thin walls of capillaries into the walls of the sweat glands.
  • Oxygen & food substances are used for metabolic activities of the cells of sweat glands but the
remaining metabolic wastes are excreted out of the gland through the sweat duct which opens
on the surface of the skin through sweat pore.
 • Sweat contains 99% water.
(III) Humans excretory system :
  • The excretory system of man consists of two kidneys, two ureters, urinary bladder and urethra.

Fig. 4.1 : The human excretory system (or urinary system).

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4. EXCRETION

Fig.4.2 : L.S. of kidney

1. Kidney : These are main or primary excretory organs of man.
• The kidneys are reddish-brown bean shaped structures present in the upper part of the
abdominal cavity, on either side of the vertebral column.
• Each kidney is made up of large number of coiled tubes called nephrons (uriniferous or renal
tubules).
• These filter the nitrogenous waste materials and excess of water from the blood and form the
urine.
2. Ureters : These are a pair of long ,narrow, thin walled and tubular structure which starts from
the kidney, run downward and open in urinary bladder.
3. Urinary bladder : It is a thin walled, elastic, pear-shaped and distensible sac present in lower
part of abdomen.
• The urinary bladder stores the urine. When the muscles around the urinary bladder contract,
the urine is excreted out through a small opening called the urethra.

4. Urethra : It is muscular and tubular structure which extends from the urinary bladder to the
outside. It carries the urine to the outside.

 Structure of nephron :

1. Bowman’s capsule : t is a single-cell thick, double walled cup-shaped structure present in

the cortex region of the kidney. The cup-shaped capsule contains a network of capillaries
called Glomerulus. Glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule are together called as Renal corpuscle.

2. Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) : t starts after the Bowman’s capsule and is greatly
twisted. The whole PCT lies in the cortex region.

3. Henle’s loop : Henle’s loop is a U-shaped tubule located in the medulla region.

4. Distal convoluted tubule : The ascending limb continues into the distal convoluted tubule
which forms several coils in the cortex.

5. Collecting duct : Collecting tubule receives distal tubules of several uriniferous tubules.
Several such tubules unite to form a large collecting duct. The collecting ducts are held
together and converge to form a pyramid. The pyramid opens into the pelvis which leads into
the ureter.

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4. EXCRETION

Fig.4.3 : Functional unit of kidney -nephron

 Blood supply to Nephrons :
  • Inside the kidney, the renal artery branches into a number of renal arterioles.
  • A branch from a renal arteriole enters each Bowman’s capsule, & is called the afferent
arteriole.
  • It breaks up into a network of capillaries which reunite to form an efferent arteriole.
  • Glomerulus is a mass of network of capillaries in the Bowman’s capsule.
  • The efferent arteriole after emerging from the Bowman’s capsule runs a short distance &
breaks up into a capillary network (vasa recta) which surrounds the renal tubule and rejoins to
form a vein.
  • By reuniting again and again with other veins of the kidney it forms the renal vein which drains
into the vena cava.
 Working of Nephron : Main function of nephron is to form urine. There are three main
processes involved in the urine formation:
1. Glomerular ultrafiltration : It is the filtration of body fluids and solutes from the blood, out of
the glomerular capillaries into the Bowman’s capsule due to the pressure in the glomerulus.
  • All substances from the blood are filtered out except the large protein molecules.
 • This fluid in the glomerular capsule is called as glomerular filtrate.
  • It consists of water, urea, salts, glucose and other plasma solutes.
2. Tubular reabsorption : Glomerular filtrate contains a lot of useful materials like glucose, salts
such as that of sodium and water.
  • These substances are reabsorbed from the renal tubule at various levels and in varied
proportions. 
3. Tubular secretion : This occurs mainly in the distal convoluted tubule and the collecting duct
of the nephron.
 Chemical composition of urine : Normal human urine consists of about 95% water and 5%
of solid wastes. Organic compounds are Urea, Creatinine, Uric acid and Inorganic
Compounds are NaCl, KCl, Ammonia etc.

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4. EXCRETION
(IV) Artificial kidney :
  • In case of loss or damage of one kidney, the other kidney performs the function of both the
kidneys and the person can lead a normal life.
  • But the failure of both the kidneys leads to death.
The procedure used for cleaning the blood of a person by separating the waste substance
(urea) from it is called Dialysis. The blood from the radial artery in the patient’s arm is made
to flow into the dialyser of a dialysis machine made of long tubes of selectively permeable
membrane (like cellulose) which are coiled in a tank containing dialysing solution. The
dialysing solution contains water, glucose and salts in similar concentrations to those in normal
blood.As the patient’s blood passes through the dialysing solution, most of the wastes like
urea present in it pass through the selectively permeable cellulose tubes into the dialysing
solution. The clean blood is pumped back into a vein of the patient’s arm.
• In case of permanent damage to the kidneys, dialysis has to be performed for about twelve
hours, twice a week. Now a days, diseased kidney may be replaced with healthy one by
kidney transplantation to lead a normal life.

Fig.4.4 : The principle of the kidney dialyasis machine

Q.1_ Diff erentiate secretion excretion & def aecation.

Q.2 Give 2-2 example of ammonotelic, uricotelic and ureotelic animals.
Q.3 W rite down the Name of excretory organ in hemichordate ?

B. EXCRETION IN PLANTS
• Every living organism needs excretion for its stability since all the organisms are made up of
cells. Cells perform their work all the time with millions of tasks and regulate billions of
reactions. Therefore, many toxic substances stored in cells must be removed from the cells for
their existence.
• Plants do not have excretory organs. Plants produce less waste products. Main waste
products of plants are CO2, O2, water vapour etc. These substances are excreted by the
stomata of leaf and some times other parts of the plant like stem by the process of
photosynthesis.
• Plants excrete carbon dioxide produced as waste during respiration. Plants excrete oxygen as
waste product only during the day time when sunlight is there. Water vapour produced as
waste by respiration is, however, excreted by plants all the time (day as well as night).
• Plants also store some of the waste products in their body parts. For example, some of the
waste products collect in the leaves, bark and fruits of the plants (or trees).

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4. EXCRETION
• Plants get rid of these wastes by shedding off leaves, peeling off bark and felling off fruits. So
when dead leaves, bark and ripe fruits fall off from tree, then waste products contained in them
are get rid of. In some plants waste get stored in fruits in the form of solid bodies called
raphides.
• These wastes are removed when fruits get detached from the plant. Raphides are solid waste
product of a plant stored in its fruits like, yam (zamikand). These waste products i.e., raphides
are made up of calcium oxalate crystals.
• Some of the plant wastes are also very useful to human beings such as  Natural rubber,
resins, gums, and essential oils (e.g., sandalwood oil).
• Now there are three forms of wastes produced by the plants:

(a) Solid wastes in plants : Raphides and rubber etc.

(b) Liquid wastes in plants : Sandalwood oil and Eucalyptus oil etc.
(c) Gaseous wastes in plants : carbon dioxide and oxygen. Aquatic plants lose most of their
metabolic wastes by diffusion into the water surrounding us.

Q.1 W hy diabetes insipedus occurs in human ?

Q.2 Def ine glycosuria.

Some Additional Points

 Micturition – Expulsion of urine from urinary bladder.
 Glycosuria – Presence of glucose in urine occur in diabetes mellitus.
 Hematuria - Presence of blood in urine.
 Deficiency of ADH causes Diabetes Insipidus.
 Urinary bladder is absent in snakes,crocodiles and birds except the ostrich and Rhea.
 Ornithine cycle (urea cycle) occurs in liver.
 Desert living mammals (camel) have long loop of Henle.
 Largest number of sweat glands in man are found on the palms.
 Bowman’s capsule and glomerulus are collectively called Malpighian body.
 Vasopressin is also called antidiuretic hormone (ADH). It decreases the loss of water
in the urine by increasing the reabsorption of water in the Distal Convoluted Tubule.

TOPIC NAME : EXCRETION

TYPE (I) : VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS : [01 MARK EACH]

A-1 Name the major excretory product of human beings.

TYPE (II) : SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS : [02 MARKS EACH]

A-2 Draw diagram of human excretory system, label its parts.

TYPE (III) : LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS: [04 MARK EACH]

A-3 How do leaves of plants help in excretion?

TYPE (IV): VERY LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [05 MARK EACH]

A-4 Describe the process of urine formation in kidneys.



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