THE EXCRETORY SYSTEM (pg181)

*All chemical reactions going on the cells are known as metabolism.

*Excretion: is the removal of metabolic waste. [Egestion: the removal of undigested food]

*Osmoregulation: is the control of the amount of water in blood.

1) What is the importance of excretion?

-Plants excrete waste such as tannins by leaf fall, loss of bark.

- The kidneys are the major excretory and osmoregulatory organs of mammals.
(draw and label pg 184-185)
-The lungs excrete carbon dioxide and the skin excrete sweat

NEPHRON (draw pg 185)

- Bowman’s capsule: cup-shaped, encloses glomerulus

-Glomerulus: knot of capillaries. The blood entering here carries nitrogenous and other waste to be
cleaned. Ultrafiltration takes place here.

1) ULTRAFILTRATION IN THE GLOMERULUS

The afferent arteriole which comes to the Bowman’s capsule has a bigger diameter than the efferent
arteriole leaving it. Therefore pressure builds up in the capillaries of the glomerulus. This causes small
components of the blood plasma to be pushed out into the Bowman’s capsule.

The fluid in the Bowman’s capsule is known as the filtrate and contains water, glucose, amino acids,
vitamins, salts, urea and hormones.

2) PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE (p.c.t.)

Selected reabsorbtion takes place. Glucose is reabsorbed by capillaries around the p.c.t.
[Selected reabsorbtion is the reabsorption of a substance in preference to others that are present.]

3) LOOP OF HENLE: water is reabsorbed into the blood capillaries here.

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4) DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE (d.c.t)
Salt and water is reabsorbed here but this is controlled by hormones.

5) COLLECTING DUCT: The filtrate here is now called urine. Urine is made of salt, water, urea.

The urine then flows to the pelvis then ureter then bladder to be stored. When ready, the urethra
transports the urine from the bladder to the outside of the body.

THE KIDNEYS
A person can survive with one kidney if the other one is damaged or infected. A kidney can be damaged
by high blood pressure which can cause the glomerulus to burst resulting in kidney failure. A person can
get a kidney transplant but the donor (person giving the kidney) must match the recipient (person
receiving the kidney). If someone is suffering with kidney failure they can do dialysis. This is a kidney
machine that cleans the blood for you. It is done 10 hours every few days to remove waste, toxic
components and poison that can kill body cells.

OSMOREGULATION (pg 189)

The kidney is important for osmoregulation. They control the concentration of body fluids.

The kidneys control the concentration of blood by controlling the amount of water and salts that are
reabsorbed into the capillaries during selective reabsorbtion in the distal convoluted tubules and
collecting ducts.
If blood is too concentrated: eg. Excess sweating, high salt, low water

Results: ADH causes d.c.t and collecting duct to reabsorb most of the water from the filtrate
therefore small amounts of concentrated urine is produced.

If blood is too dilute: eg. high water, low salt

Less ADH released, small amounts of water absorbed. Therefore a large amount of dilute urine
is produced.

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 HOMEOSTASIS
The way in which a constant internal environment is maintained eg. Excretion, osmoregulation.
Why is it important? Without this important reactions may be disrupted.
The body must detect any deviation (change) from the normal and make necessary adjustments to
return it to its normal condition as quickly as possible.
[draw and label skin pg 237]

Regulation/Controlling temperature
Heat loss- cooling body
1) Evaporation of sweat: heat is used to evaporate sweat so as sweat evaporates, heat is lost from
the body
2) Vaso-dilation: blood capillaries near the surface of the skin dilates (becomes larger) so more
blood can flow through and release heat through the skin.
Keeping the body warm
1) Vaso-constriction: capillaries near the skin constrict or become smaller so less heat is lost
through the skin.
2) Shivering: muscles under the skin contract and relax (work) so heat is released.
3) Hair raise: this works well in animals with fur. The hair traps a layer of air around the body. Air
is a very good insulator so it traps heat over the surface of the body.
4) Clothing: eg wool. Traps a layer of air that keeps us warm.

CARING FOR YOUR SKIN!

 Protect your skin from the sun: ultraviolet rays (UV) from the sun can cause wrinkles, age spots,
increase risk of cancer. The malpighian layer of the skin has melanin which protects the skin
from UV rays. The more melanin in the skin, the darker it is and the more protected you are.
 Use sunscreen, wear protective clothing, avoid smoking, eat healthy, manage stress, moisturize.
[What is skin bleaching?]

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 NEGATIVE FEEDBACK MECHANISM
If the internal environment is disturbed, the disturbance sets in motion a sequence of events which
tends to restore the system to its original state. This is called negative feedback because it removes the
effect of the change.

1) REGULATION OF CO2

2) REGULATION OF BODY TEMPERATURE

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3) REGULATION OF GLUCOSE

4) REGULATION OF THE CONCENTRATION OF BLOOD