Unit 10 Excretion

Notes
1. Excretion is the process by which metabolic waste products and toxic materials are removed from
an organism’s body.
2. Major excretory products in animals:
 nitrogenous compounds from the breakdown of excess amino acids
 carbon dioxide from cell respiration
 bile pigments from the breakdown of haemoglobin of red blood cells

3. Main organs of excretion

 lungs – remove carbon dioxide, some water and heat
 kidneys – remove nitrogenous wastes from the blood such as urea and water
 liver – deaminates and detoxifies nitrogenous wastes as well as breaks down haemoglobin into
bile salts, excreted via the duodenum
 skin – removes some urea and other salts in the sweat; gives off heat and water

4. Excretory products include

 carbon dioxide and
 urea

5. Removal of carbon dioxide from the lungs

deoxygenated
red blood cells air in
and out red blood cells with
oxyhaemoglobin
high oxygen concentration
low carbon dioxide
alveolus concentration

capillary wall
carbon dioxide from blood

oxygen into blood wall of alveolus

tissue
low oxygen level
high carbon dioxide
level

capillary
heart
oxygenated
deoxygenated blood carbon dioxide
oxygen into tissue into blood
blood
Gaseous exchange in the lungs and the tissues

87
  carbon dioxide produced by cells and tissues is transported by the blood to the lungs
 gaseous exchange in the alveoli occurs by diffusion – concentration of carbon dioxide in the
air is lower than the that in the blood being brought into the lungs

6. Cleansers of the blood – kidneys

 urinary system is made up of kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder and urethra
 kidneys
 remove nitrogenous wastes from the blood such as urea and water
 help to regulate the water content and the chemical composition of body fluids
 blood entering the kidney is filtered – water and small solute molecules such as glucose, amino
acids, urea and mineral salts are forced out of the kidney tubules but red blood cells, platelets
and blood proteins are retained
 most of the water is reabsorbed by osmosis while the solutes which are required by the body
are reabsorbed by the body via active transport
 urine enters the ureters
 urine is made up of water, mineral salts and waste substances such as urea
 urine slowly flows from the ureters to the urinary bladder
 walls of the urinary bladder expands as it fills with urine
 muscle contraction will act on the bladder when the bladder wall is stretched to a certain
point
 urine from the urinary bladder flows into the urethra which leads to the outside of the body

vena cava aorta

kidney

ureter

bladder

Position of the kidneys

‘O’ Level Biology 88

 capsule

cortex

renal artery

renal vein

pelvis

medulla

ureter

Structure of the kidney

glomerulus

arteriole from
renal artery venule leading to
renal vein which is
narrower in
diameter than clean blood returns
arteriole to the heart
Bowman’s capsule
-high blood To collecting ducts-
pressure forces small Urine containing
molecules urea, unwanted salt
into the nephron and water.
First coiled loop. Second coiled loop
Blood reabsorbs Water can be
glucose, useful absorbed and other
salts and water. slight modifications
are made if necessary.
Loop of Henlé Water is reabsorbed if necessary. Some useful substances
may not have been
reabsorbed by the
first coiled loop

Structure and function of a nephron

7. Compare the levels of substances in the blood before entering and after leaving the kidneys

Renal artery Renal vein

oxygenated deoxygenated

high levels of urea present very little urea present

water levels inbalanced water levels balanced

excess salts balanced level of salts

may carry toxic substances such as alcohol balanced levels of toxic substances

89 Excretion
8. When both kidneys fail
 metabolic wastes can no longer be removed from the body
 the person must undergo regular haemodialysis
 what happens during haemodialysis
 blood from an artery in the patient’s arm flows into a long coil of tubing
 the tubing provides a large surface area for the exchange of materials and is partially
permeable – allowing small molecules such as urea and other wastes products to diffuse
into the surrounding dialysis fluid
 large molecules such as proteins and red blood cells remain in the blood
 anticoagulant is added to prevent blood clotting in the tubes
 fluid surrounding the tubing consists of water, at the correct temperature, the correct
concentrations of chemicals such as glucose, various salts, bicarbonates and amino acids
 eventually the blood with most of its nitrogenous wastes removed is returned to a vein in the
patient’s arm

‘O’ Level Biology 90