URINARY &

EXCRETORY SYSTEM
Natures Work

Case 1:
You wake up in the middle of the night with the urge to pee.
Barely awake, you head to the restroom to handle your
business. During that time, you notice that your urine is red.
You start freaking out and you have no clue what to do. What is
happening?

Urinary vs Excretory
Urinary System

Excretory System

Involves filtration of the blood, and

removal of wasted through a urine
byproduct.

Many types of excretory materials.

Fecal Matter
Sweat
Tears

URINARY SYSTEM

Urinary System
Composed of the
Kidneys
Ureter
Bladder
Urethra

The Kidneys
We have two of them (Right and
Left).
They are used to filter out the
wastes in the blood.
When one kidney malfunctions, you
are put on dialysis.

Filtration
The nephron is responsible of urine
production.
In the nephron, we have small units
referred to as a glomerulus.
The glomerulus is a small ball of
capillaries.
The afferent arteriole, is the portion
of the artery that brings blood to the
glomerulus. The efferent arteriole
brings blood away from the
glomerulus.

Filtration
Plasma is filtered out of the
capillaries of the glomerulus into the
space of the glomerulus capsule.

Afferent arteriole
from renal artery

Glomerulus

Efferent
arteriole from
glomerulus

Distal
tubule

Proximal
tubule

It then enters the proximal tubule.

Then the fluid enters the Loop of
Henle (composed of the descending
and ascending limb).
It makes its way to the Distal tubule.
Fluid from multiple nephrons drain
into the collecting duct.

Descending
limb

Loop of Henle

Collecting
duct
Ascending
limb

Renal Artery to Renal Vein

Proximal tubule

Peritubular capillaries

The efferent arteriole then becomes

the Peritubular capillaries.
The peritubular capillaries are
responsible for reabsorbing water,
ions and nutrients.

Efferent
arteriole from
glomerulus

These capillaries then rejoin and

become the renal vein.

Branch of
renal vein

The blood then flows back to the

inferior vena cava.

Distal
tubule
Collecting
duct

Descending
limb

Loop of Henle

Ascending
limb

Vasa
recta

But how do we get urine?

The fluid from the collecting ducts
then drain into a vessel known as
the ureter. There is one ureter per
kidney.
The ureters will drain all their fluid
into the bladder.
The bladder collects and stores
urine. Once filled, or once it
receives signal, the bladder will
empty itself by sending urine out of
the body through the urethra.

Protein Intake and Urine

Proteins are composed of units
known as amino acids.
When you ingest protein in excess,
your body has no use for it,
therefore it must leave the body.
The amino acids that are unneeded
go through a process known as the
urea cycle, where amino acids get
turned into urea.

Protein Intake and Urine

Urea is responsible for the color and
odor of your urine.
Too much urea results in a
sunflower yellow shade, while too
little urea results in a light yellow
shade.

Water Intake and Urine

The amount of water you intake also
plays a role in your urine color.
Too little water results in a dark
yellow color, while too much water
can result in a clear liquid.
Too little water can also result in
kidney stones.
It is the ratio between urea
concentration and water
concentration that keeps your urine
in check.

The Many Shades of Urine

Color

Sign of

Orange

Too many carrots

Amber Yellow

You need more water

Brown Ale/Syrup

Seriously Dehydrated or Liver Disease

Green

Results from some medications or food coloring

Red

Blood (Could be from an infection, could be from

beets or too much red velvet cake!)

Blue

Results from some medications or food coloring

Fizzy or Foamy

Youre urinating too quickly.

EXCRETORY SYSTEM

Beyond Urine
Excretory System

Byproducts

It isnt just a short extension of the

digestive tract.

Sweat

There are multiple byproducts.

Fecal Matter
Tears

Sweat Facts
Urea

Sodium

Sweat contains urea, just like urine.

However it is a much watered down
version.

There is also sodium in sweat.

People with yellowish sweat have

too much urea in the system.

The sodium is responsible for the

salty taste of sweat.

How do we sweat?
Eccrine Sweat Glands

Apocrine Sweat Glands

Glands that secrete sweat right to

the surface of the skin.

Concentrated in the armpits and

anus.

Found mainly on the soles of the

feet, palms and scalp.

The sweat is released through hair

follicles in these regions.

Typically odorless.

Sweat from these glands tend to be

cloudy and odorous.

Have a purpose in
thermoregulation.

May contain pheromones.

Why does sweat smell?

There is tons of bacteria found around the

location and hair follicles of where your
apocrine glands secrete their fluid.

This bacteria feeds on and reacts with the

components of your sweat. It is this
reaction that produces that musty smell.

Items such like deodorant help kill the

bacteria found in these locations, reducing
the smell associated with sweat.

Other deodorants block the sweat glands

from secreting fluid in the first place.

Sweating a little too much?

Its actually quite common!
Palmoplantar Hyperhidrosis:
excessive sweat on palms and feet.

Axillary Hyperhidrosis: excessive

sweating in the armpits.
You could just be nervous!
The autonomic division of the
Nervous System is responsible for
sweat production.

Fecal Matter
This excretory material is a direct
result of the digestive tract. The
waste that builds up in the large
intestine (after water is absorbed),
makes its way to the rectum and
then out of the body through the
anus.
Fecal matter can also have color
changes due to food coloring.
(Because the food coloring is
insoluble)

Tears
Tears are another example of an
excretory product.
They are released via the lacrimal
glands.
They aid in maintaining eye
moisture and drowning your
sorrows.
Dry Eye Syndrome results from a
malfunction in the lacrimal glands.