Excretion in Humans

Outline of the chapter:

 What is excreton?
 How is it different from egestion?
 How is it different in case of plants and animals.
 What is eliminated as a waste product?
 How is it eliminated?
- Structure of excretory system
- Functions of each part
- Sequence of urine flow
- Role of liver in excretion.

What is excretion?
Excretion is the process of removal of toxic waste products from our body which arises as a result of metabolic
reactions.

Importance of excretion
Excretion of generated waste products is important because:
1. Accumulated toxic metabolites in our body have harmful effects.
2. Salt-water balance.
3. Maintenance of body temperature.

How is excretion different from egestion?

Waste products are generated from tissues or Waste products are generated from food which
blood that forms a part of our body. is not a part of our body.
Kidney, ureter and urinary bladder play a The alimentary canal, the accessory glands
major role apart from liver, heart and blood such as salivary glands, gall bladder of liver
vessels. and accessory organs such as tongue, teeth etc
help in the process.
Urea/ uric acid / ammonia is excreted out in the Undigested waste products are egested in the
form of urine. form of faeces.
 What is eliminated as a waste product?

Excretory products in plants -

Oxygen as a result of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and excess water produced as a result of respiration are
also major excretory products in case of plants.

Elimination of excretory products in plants –

Unlike animals, plants do not have specialized organs for excretion. The excretion process is simple. The by
product of photosynthesis i.e; oxygen is utilized for respiration and the carbon dioxide produced as a result of
respiration is utilized for photosynthesis.
The excess CO₂, O₂ and H₂O is excreted via stomatal pores.

Excretory products in animals –

Different animals excrete out different types of nitrogenous products depending on toxicity and utility of
metabolic products. There are three different types of excretory products in animals:
1. Ammonia – Excreted by fish
2. Urea – Excreted by frogs, humans
3. Uric Acid – Excreted by Birds

How is urea eliminated in humans

Role of liver –
Most of the amino acids form in the small intestine as a result of digestion, gets utilized. The remaining amino
acids get converted into ammonia. In liver, this ammonia gets converted into urea with the help of urea cycle.
Urea which is a less toxic form and more soluble in water reaches the kidneys via renal artery.
Structure of excretory system in Humans-

Excretory system in Humans consists of:

(i) A pair of kidneys
(ii) A pair of ureters
(iii) A urinary bladder

Function of each part of excretory system-

 Renal artery – Brings urea filled blood from the liver into the kidneys
 Renal vein – Takes the waste product free blood to heart for circulation.
 Kidneys – Filters the blood to form filtrate in the form of urea solution (urine).
 Ureters – Transfers the filtrate from kidneys into urinary bladder.
 Urinary Bladder – Stores urine.
 Urethra – Helps in voluntary expulsion of urine.

Sequence of flow of urea –

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