The Excretory System

• Function:
– Removal of metabolic wastes and excess
substances from cellular activities that build
up in bodily fluids

• This is not egestion which is the removal

of undigested food or faeces
Major Metabolic Wastes

• Carbon Dioxide
– produced from cellular respiration

• Nitrogen Compounds
– produced by the breakdown of amino acids
– Ammonia, urea, uric acid

• Mineral Salts

• Water
Disposed of in urine and sweat
 Organs of Excretion
• Kidney
• Liver
• Lungs
• Skin

• These organs work with the circulatory,

nervous and endocrine systems to help
keep the body’s internal environment fairly
constant and maintain (homeostasis)
The Kidneys and the
Urinary System

• Composed of:
– Kidneys
– Ureters
– Bladder
– Urethra
• Summary:
– Kidneys produce urine
which passes to a tube
called a ureter

– Urine flows to the urinary

bladder where it is stored.

– During urination the stored

urine travels from the
bladder to the outside of the
body through the urethra

– Helps to maintain a proper

fluid balance in the body
Structure of the Kidney

– Cortex: outer part

where blood is filtered

– Medulla: middle part

made up of tubes called
collecting ducts that
carry filtrate to pelvis

– Pelvis: inner region

connected to ureter
 Kidney Function
Filters the blood

Primary organ of “Osmoregulation”

(regulating water balance)
The Nephron

• Part of the kidney where filtering of the blood

happens
– Each kidney has over a million nephrons
– Part of nephron lies in cortex, part in the medulla
 Filtration and Reabsorption
in the Nephron

Renal vein
Renal
Artery

Glomerulus

Collecting duct
Bowman’s Capsule for urine

Loop of Henle
 Parts of the Nephron
• Glomerulus:
– group of capillaries in
a tight ball at end of
nephron

– Where substances
filter out of blood and
enter nephron as
“filtrate”

• Bowman’s
Capsule:
– cup shaped structure
that surrounds the
glomerulus and
receives filtrate from
• Loop of Henle
(Renal Tubule)
– Long loop of the
nephron

– Surrounded by
capillaries

– Reabsorption of
certain parts of
filtrate back into the
bloodstream takes Materials
reabsorbed
place here. from filtrate
 How is Urine Formed?
• Process of filtration and reabsorption
– Filtration of materials from blood
– Reabsorption of certain useful substances
• Filtration:
– Blood enters kidney
under pressure forcing
filtrate through thin walls
of glomerulus into
Bowman’s Capsule

– Filtrate:
• Composed of water,
urea, glucose, amino
acids, various salts
– However, a lot of this is required by animals!

– Otherwise we lose too much water, glucose

and salts

– On average about 180 liters of filtrate is

formed in 24 hours but only 1 to 1.5 liters of
urine is produced!
• Reabsorption:
– takes place in renal
tubule (Loop of Henle)

– Returns 99% of filtrate

back to the blood

• Most of the water

– By passive transport

• Glucose, amino acids

and most of the salts
– Mostly by active
transport
 – Way to conserve water

– Way to keep nutrients like glucose and amino

acids

– Filtrate becomes very concentrated as urine

• Urine: made of urea, water and excess

salts
 Regulation of Urine Output
• Hypothalamus (small area of brain)
– Secretes hormone called ADH (antidiuretic
hormone)

• Fluid intake low = ADH secreted

– Stimulates reabsorption of water in nephron.
– Urine output decreases and is more
concentrated

• Fluid intake high: ADH not secreted

– Less reabsorption of water in nephron
– Urine output increases and is relatively dilute
 The Liver
• Helps to filter the blood and regulate
the makeup of body fluids
• Detoxifies Blood
– Removes substances such as drugs, alcohol and certain toxins from the
blood

– Changes them to an inactive form which is excreted from the body by

kidneys

• Breaks Down Worn Out Red Blood Cells

– RBCs don’t have nuclei and don’t live very long

– Part of the haemoglobin molecule is found in bile.

• Excretes Bile:
– the liver synthesizes and excretes bile into gall
bladder to add in fat digestion
• Forms Urea
– Excess amino acids from protein digestion are
broken down in the liver by deamination.

– Deamination:
• “amino group” is removed from amino acid
• changed to ammonia NH3
• ammonia is toxic to the body and is changed into urea
in the liver
– Kidneys filter out urea in the nephron and excrete
it from the body in urine.
 Lungs
• An excretory organ

• Give off carbon dioxide, and excess

water both metabolic wastes.
 Skin
• Gives off sweat or perspiration
to help regulate body
temperature.

• Sweat is composed of 99%

water, salts and some urea.

• Also capillaries close to skin

surface help to eliminate or
conserve heat.
 Skin
• Skin is the largest organ of the
human body.

• It protects the internal organs, and

has sensory cells to detect
environmental changes.

• It also has sebaceous glands that

secrete oil to keep skin soft, pliable
and for protection.
Comparative Excretory
Systems in Animals
 Summary of Excretion
• Ammonotelic excretion – highly soluble and requires
ample amount of water for dilution e.g. most aquatic
organisms

• Ureotelic excretion – relatively soluble and requires

smaller amount of water for dilution e.g. semi-
aquatic organisms, amphibians, mammals,

• Uricotelic excretion – highly insoluble and requires

nil amount of water for dilution e.g. insects, reptiles,
and birds
Excretion in Protists and Hydra
• Direct contact with cell
membrane and environment.

• Wastes diffuse out of cell

membranes or are excreted
through active transport

• Metabolic wastes include:

carbon dioxide, ammonia and
mineral salts

• Ammonia is the chief

nitrogenous wastes of protists
• Freshwater protists use contractile vacuoles and
active transport to remove excess water that is
constantly entering the cell by osmosis.

• Concentration of water greater outside cell than inside

so it moves across membrane by diffusion into cell.

• Salt water protists don’t have this problem.

 Excretion in Earthworms
• Pairs of nephridia found in almost every segment

– Surrounded by capillaries and filter wastes from blood

– Wastes form a dilute urine which passes through a bladder and out
through the nephridiopore.

• Urine is water, mineral salts, ammonia and urea.

 Don’t Forget!
• Thin outer skin is the respiratory surface
– Below skin are capillaries carrying blood with haemoglobin

• Live in moist soil and constantly secretes mucus to

keep skin moist, especially for gaseous exchange
 Excretion in Grasshoppers
• Malpighian tubules are bathed by blood from open
circulatory system
– Wastes enter tubules and pass into intestine
– Water and other useful substances are reabsorbed and returned to
body fluid

• Dry nitrogenous waste product: uric acid

– Helps conserve water
 Don’t Forget!
• System of tracheal tubes for gas
exchange
– Branching air tubes carry air directly to cells

– Muscle contractions pump air in and out of

tubes

• Spiracles: outside openings that lead to

tracheal tubes