SCIENCE - FORM 3 EXCRETION

HUMAN EXCRETION A. Excretory Organs and Excretory Products

1. (a) Excretion is the process of removing waste products from the body. (b) The products are produced during metabolism that occurs in the body. 2. (a) The body cells absorb oxygen and digested food from the blood. (b) At the same time it gives out waste products like carbon dioxide, excess water and urea to the blood. 3. (a) These waste products, also known as excretory substances, are poisonous to the body and must be removed. (b) They are carried by the circulatory system to the excretory organs to be removed from the body.

4. Excretion helps our body remove wastes to remain healthy. If wastes are not removed, toxic substances accumulate in the body. 5. The excretory organs in the human body are: (a) the skin (b) the lungs (c) the kidneys 6. Figure below shows the human excretory organs.

Human excretory organs Skin 1. Figure below shows the structure of the human skin.

Human skin as an excretory organ 2. We prespire through our skin and our perspiration or sweat is a solution of water, mineral salts and waste products. 3. (a) The skin structures involved in excretion consist of the capillaries, the sweat glands, the sweat ducts and the sweat pores. (b) Surrounding each sweat gland is a network of capillaries. 4. (a) When blood flows through the capillaries, waste products such as water,

urea and mineral salts are absorbed by the sweat glands. (b) These substances then pass through the sweat ducts and the sweat pores as sweat. (c) Finally, water in the sweat evaporates leaving mineral salts and a little urea on the skin. 5. Evaporation of the sweat helps to cool the skin and this helps to maintain the body temperature.

The 1. Figure below shows the structure of the

lungs human lungs. as carbon

2. During cells dioxide and water are

respiration, excretory produced.

substances

such

The lungs as excretory organs 3. The blood vessels carry the carbon dioxide and water from the body cells to the lungs. 4. These then diffuse out from the capillaries into the alveoli. 5. During exhalation, carbon dioxide and water vapour are expelled from the lungs when we breathe out. 6. Excretion of carbon dioxide and water can be represented as shown:

The kidneys 1. Figure below shows the human kidneys. 2. The kidneys are the principal organs of excretion. 3. They remove urea, uric acid, other nitrogenous substances, mineral salts and water from the body in the form of urine. This process is called urination.

4. Figure below shows the waster products excreted by the different excretory organs in our body and the processes involved.

B. The importance of Excretion

1. Excretory substances are produced during metabolism that occurs in our body. If these substances are allowed to accumulate, they endanger our health. 2. Carbon dioxide, urea and excess water are harmful to the body cells and must be removed. 3. Carbon dioxide dissolves in water to form an acid which will slow down many enzym reactions. A high concentration of this gas will also increase the breathing rate. 4. Urea is produced in the liver from excess amino acids in the body. It is a poisonous substance and will prevent enzyme reactions from taking place. 5. Excess water can cause a cell to swell and burst. Too much water in the body will also harm the lungs. 6. Bacteria thrives in dirty sweat and may cause boils or other skin diseases. So sweat must be created from the body. 7. Excretion maintains the chemical and water balance in the body. Excretion therefore regulates the blood concentration. 8. Sweating also controls the pH of body tissue fluids. It removes excess water and mineral salts. 9. The evaporation of sweat from the surface of the skin also helps to cool the body and this helps to maintain body temperature.

URINARY SYSTEM IN HUMANS

Figure 1: Human urinary system system in and female

Figure 2: Slide view of urinary males

1. The urinary system is part of the excretory system. 2. The urinary system consists of: (a) a pair of kidneys (b) a pair of ureters (c) a urinary bladder (d) urethra 3. The ureters are canals that connect the kidneys with the urinary bladder.

4. The ureters function to channel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. 5. The urinary bladder functions to store urine. When it is filled with urine, the urge to urinate is felt. 6. The urethra functions to channel urine from the urinary bladder out of the body. 7. The renal artery transports oxygenated blood to the kidneys while the renal vein transports deoxygenated blood away from the kidneys. 8. The blood carried by the renal artery to the kidney is filtered and excretory products are then eliminated from the blood as urine.

A. Human kidneys

Longitudinal section of the human kidneys 1. The kidneys are situated to the left and right back section of the abdominal cavity. 2. Human kidneys are dark red in colour and is bean-shaped. 3. The internal structure of the kidneys is divided into: (a) the outer part which is dark red in colour named cortex (b) the inner part which is light red in colour named medulla

4. The medulla is pyramid-shaped. 5. The kidney pelvis is the part where the ureter begins. 6. Functions of the kidney include: (a) eliminating excess water and mineral salts from the body (b) regulating the amount of water and mineral salts in the body (c) regulating the blood concentration (d) helping to remove nitrogenous substances like urea and ric acid from the body

B. The importance of maintaining a healthy kidney

Substance content in blood plasma compared to urine 1. Under normal conditions, substances like protein (amino acids) and glucose are not found in the urine. If glucose is found in the urine, it is most likely that the person has diabetes. 2. If the kidneys do not function properly, toxic substances in the blood will accumulate and this will lead to death. 3. The kidneys will function properly if we : (a) drink a lot of clean water (b) avoid drinking alcohol (c) reduce drinking gassy drinks (d) reduce eating food with high sugar content 4. If the kidneys of a person do not function properly or if they are damaged, that person must get treatment by taking medicine given by a doctor. 5. A patient with a serious kidney condition must receive kidney dialysis

treatment by using body.

a dialysis machine to remove toxic substances from the

6. In severe conditions, patients have to undergo kidney dialysis treatment three times a week.

EXCRETION IN PLANTS
1. Plants do not have special excretory organs like humans. However, plants also need to excrete their waste products. 2. Plants have special processes for getting rid of waste products. 3. One of the ways plants excrete their waste products is by simple diffusion through their cell walls. 4. The main waste products formed in plants are water, carbon dioxide and oxygen. 5. Plants carry out two important processes. These are respiration and photosynthesis. (a) Respiration uses oxygen and produces carbon dioxide and water. Carbon dioxide and water are excretory products. (b) Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water and produces oxygen and water and produces oxygen, which is a by-product. 6. Green plants make use of most of the waste products. 7. Water and carbon dioxide, produced during respiration, are used in photosynthesis. 8. Only a small quantity of the oxygen produced during photosynthesis is used up for respiration. 9. Most of the oxygen diffuses from the leaves into the air. 10. Water in the plants is obtained largely from the soil. Only a small percentage comes from respiration. 11. Any excess water in a plant is removed as water vapour during transpiration through the stomata on leaf surfaces. 12. The types and forms of minerals and nitrogenous products that are eliminated by plants are different from animals.

13. The excess minerals taken from the soil and not used up are stored in certain parts of the plant. They are removed as these parts die and drop off. 14. Plants also produce complex excretory substances in various forms. 15. (a) They include excretory substances such as oil, latex, gum, resin and tannin which are usually stored in different parts of the plant. (b) These plant parts may be the leaves, bark, stems, flowers, vacuoles and fruits. 16. When these parts drop off or die, the excretory substances in them will be removed. For example, calcium oxalate and calcium carbonate crystals are stored in the leaves and stems. These excretory substances are removed from the plant when the leaves drop off. 17. Volatile oil can be found on the petals of the flowers. This is removed through evaporation. 18. Latex, resin and gum are secreted by special cells or glands in the plant and then ooze out when these cells and glands are damaged. 19. Cinnamon, turpentine (from pine tree) and camphor are some examples of commercially important plant oils. 20. Table below shows the uses of plant excretory substances. 21. Some plant excretory products are dangerous and may cause a lot of harm. However is used correctly, these products can be very useful. (a) Morphine fromthe poppy fruit is used by doctors as a painkiller. (b) Nicotine from the tobacco keaves can also be used as a painkiller. (c) Cocaine from the coca plant is used as an anaesthetic. (d) Morphine, nicotine and cocaine are addictive drugs and are harmful if misused or abused. Drug abuse results in the loss of memory, reasoning ability and muscle coordination.