Excretion CIS VIII

Excretion
The Removal of waste products (often toxic) that have been produced by
chemical reactions in the body, eg CO2 and urea (in animals)
In Plants
Plants have 2 main metabolic processes;
Photosynthesis; The chemical process by which plants absorb UV light and

carbon dioxide making glucose and oxygen.
6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2
Respiration; The chemical process in which glucose is broken down inside cell
mitochondria releasing energy and producing carbon dioxide and water.
C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O
These gases are excreted by the stomata in the underside of leaves.
In Animals
Organ Function in Excretion

Lungs Excrete carbon dioxide when you
exhale.
Skin Takes out urea, water and other useless
salts in the form of sweat.
Kidneys Remove substances from blood to the
bladder.
Urea is formed in the liver from the breakdown of amino acids not required by
the body.
The Urinary System
Humans have 2 kidneys inside the rib cage at the back of the body, halfway
down the spine. The kidneys are well supplied with blood by the renal arteries
and renal veins. The kidneys filter the blood to remove waste substances such as
excess water, urea and mineral ions. These make up urine which flows out of
the kidneys down the ureters into the bladder. The bladder stores the urine until
the ring of muscle at its base is released, then the urine flows out of the bladder
out of the urethra (and into the loo).
Label the diagram

The kidneys are responsible for 3 important jobs;
1. ULTRAFILTRATION – Filtration on a molecular scale between the

glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule (cleaning of the blood).
2. SELECTIVE REABSORBTION – some substances are filtered out of the
blood and then selectively reabsorbed.
3. OSMOREGULATION - The regulation of the concentration of water
molecules in the blood.
Ultrafiltration
The Kidneys have around 1 million tiny tubules called nephrons, each
associated with a blood capillary. Waste products leave the blood and enter the
nephron to form urine.
1. Dirty blood enters the kidney via the renal artery.

2. The artery splits up into a ball of capillaries called the glomerulus.
3. The Blood is under high pressure (coming from the pumping heart and
also because the blood vessel leading away from the glomerulus has a
smaller diameter)
4. The high pressure forces all small molecules out of the holes in the
capillary walls leaving only large molecules like proteins in the blood.
5. The small molecules enter the Bowman’s capsule (now called glomerular
filtrate) and travel into the proximal convoluted tubule where glucose is
reabsorbed back into the blood by active transport.
6. The filtrate travels down through the loop of Henlé where water is
reabsorbed by osmosis.
7. The filtrate then enters the distal convoluted tubule where minerals,
amino acids and other useful substances are reabsorbed back into the
blood.
8. The remaining fluid containing urea, excess salts and excess water passes
into the collecting duct.
9. The distal convoluted tubules from several other nephrons join up to form
the collecting duct.
10.The collecting ducts from the other nephrons join to form the ureter,
which leads to the bladder.
11.The fluid (urine) is stored in the bladder ready for excretion.
12.The urine travels down the urethra to the outside.
Selective Reabsorption
As the filtrate travels through the proximal convoluted tubule most sodium ions
and all glucose molecules are reabsorbed back into the blood. These are
essential molecules that are not lost in urine.
Water is also reabsorbed back into the blood from the loop of Henlé and distal
convoluted tubule by osmosis. There is a higher concentration of water
molecules in the filtrate than in the blood, so water osmoses into the blood.
Other substances such as vitamins, mineral ions and amino acids are also
reabsorbed from the distal convoluted tubule.
Label the diagrams

Osmoregulation
The control of the concentration of water in the blood.
Water is essential for cellular reactions and as a solvent for the many substances
in blood.
If the concentration of water in the blood falls too low the body is dehydrated.
Water will be drawn out of cells by osmosis which could be damaging to cell
processes.
Urine contains water, urea and salts.

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Excretion

Plants have 2 main metabolic processes;

Photosynthesis; The chemical process by which plants absorb UV light and

6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2

C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O

These gases are excreted by the stomata in the underside of leaves.

Organ Function in Excretion

The Urinary System

Label the diagram

1. ULTRAFILTRATION – Filtration on a molecular scale between the

1. Dirty blood enters the kidney via the renal artery.

Label the diagrams

The control of the concentration of water in the blood.

Urine contains water, urea and salts.

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