CHAPTER 3

EXCRETION

HUMAN EXCRETION
1. All the chemical processes that take
place in the body are called
metabolism.
2. Metabolism produces waste products
which are often toxic.
3. The elimination of the metabolic waste
products from the body is called
excretion. This is done by excretory
organs.

4. The excretory organs consist of skin,

lungs and kidneys.
EXCRETION
SYSTEM
SKIN

LUNGS

KIDNEYS

LIVER

5. The importance of excretion

a. Disposal of toxic or poisonous
wastes. For example, urea and carbon
dioxide.
b. Disposal of excess substances. For
example, mineral salts and water.

SKIN
The skin has many sweat
glands which produce sweat.
The sweat gland leads to a
sweat duct which opens on the skin
surface as sweat pore.
Sweat is extracted from the blood
capillaries surrounding the sweat glands.
Sweat contains water, mineral salts and
urea.

Sweat
Sweat pore

Sweat duct

Sweat gland

LUNGS
During respiration, the
cells produce carbon
dioxide and water.
Carbon dioxide diffuses out
of the blood capillaries into
the alveoli.
Carbon dioxide and water
vapour are expelled from
the lungs by exhalation.

KIDNEYS
Kidneys are the main organs in
the excretory system.
Kidneys filter the blood and
produce urine.
Urine is yellowish liquid that
contains water, mineral salts
and urea.
Kidneys also regulate the
water and chemical balance in
the body.

Excretory organ Waste products

SKIN
LUNGS
KIDNEYS

Water, mineral salts, urea

Water vapour, carbon dioxide
Water, mineral salts, urea

THE URINARY SYSTEM IN

HUMAN BEINGS
1. The urinary system consists of a pair
of kidneys, a pair of ureters, the
urinary bladder and the urethra.
2. Blood is carried to each kidney by the
renal artery and away from it by the
renal vein.
3. The blood is filtered by within the
kidney.

4. Waste products (urea) and excess

substances (mineral salts and water)
are converted into urine.
5. Urination is the process of expelling
the urine from the body.
6. The system of tubes leading from the
kidney to the exterior is called the
urinary tract.

Parts of the urinary system

kidney
ureter

urinary
bladder
urethra

Parts of the urinary system and its functions

Organ

Functions

Ureters

Carry the urine from the kidneys to

the urinary bladder

Urinary
bladder

Stores urine and gradually expands

like a balloon

Urethra

Expels urine from the body

The kidneys
1. The kidneys are a pair of red-brown,
bean shaped organs.
2. The kidneys are covered and
protected by thick layer of fats.

3. Parts of the kidney consists of cortex,

medulla, pyramids and pelvis.
Pelvis the funnel shaped
cavity at the apices of the
pyramid open
(from the kidney)

Pelvis drains urine

into the ureter

(to the kidney)

Pyramids coneshaped tissues that

filled medulla
Cortex the dark
red outer region

Medulla the pale

red inner region

(urine to the
urinary bladder)

The longitudinal section of the human kidney

Functions of the kidneys

1. The kidneys filter the blood which contains
both useful substances and waste
products, dissolved in excess water.
2. The excess water with the dissolved
substances pass through the kidneys and
forms urine.
3. Useful substances such as glucose will
remain in the blood and transported back
to other part of the body.

4. If you drink more water than is required by

your body, your kidneys will reabsorb only
a small proportion of the water. As a
result, larger volume of dilute urine will be
produced and excreted.
5. If excess mineral salts are taken into your
body, the kidneys will remove the excess
mineral salts. As a result, urine with a
higher salt concentration is produced.

6. The other functions of the kidneys are:

Remove nitrogenous waste products such
as urea.
Keep the water and mineral contents in
our body in balance.
Control the amount of mineral salts in the
body fluid.
Maintain the pH of blood and tissue fluid.

Living with kidney failure

1. Kidney failure may be due to
a. bacterial infection
b. injury
c. high blood pressure
2. Two ways to treat kidney failure:
a. dialysis machine or kidney machine
b. kidney transplant

DIALYSIS MACHINE
A machine that filters a patient's
blood to remove excess water and
waste products when the kidneys
are damaged, dysfunctional, or
missing.

Dialysis machine
i.

ii.

The dialysis machine works in

similar ways to the real kidneys

Blood is withdrawn from

an artery in the arm or leg
is circulated through the
machine before being
returned to the same vein.
In the machine, the blood
flows through the dialysis
tube.

iii. The dialysis tube is

surrounded by dialysate
solution.

iv. Urea and excess salt

pass from the blood
flowing within the
tube into the dialysate
by diffusion.
v.

The dialysate is
discarded.
Contains dissolved
sugar and salts just
like plasma but do
not contains urea

Kidney transplant
i.

A kidney from a suitable donor can be

transplanted into the patient.

ii. Kidney may be obtained from victims of road

accidents or people who have died from
brain tumour.
iii. The tissue of the donated kidneys has to
match with the patient.
iv. However, there are not enough suitable
donor kidneys for all the patients.

Kidney health
1. We should keep our kidney healthy to avoid
kidney diseases and kidney failure.
2. Ways to maintain healthy kidneys include:
a. taking urine and blood tests
b. limiting salt and protein intake
c. maintaining blood sugar control for diabetics
d. drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day
e. learning about symptoms of kidney diseases

EXCRETION IN PLANTS
1. Plants are less active than animals so they
accumulate waste more slowly.
2. Plants do not have specialised excretory organs
to eliminate their excretory products.
3. The waste products of plants are water, carbon
dioxide, oxygen, mineral salts and nitrogenous
wastes.
4. Certain excretory products are converted into
insoluble crystals and stored in leaves, flowers
and fruits which are later lost from the plant.

tannins

latex

Crystal salt

The main waste products in plants

Excretory
product

Source

Method of excretion

Carbon
dioxide

Respiration

Removed from tissues by

diffusion through intercellular
spaces in the leaves, stems
and roots during the night.
In leaves, the gas escapes
through the stomata.
In roots, the gas diffuses out
into the air space of the soil.

Oxygen

Photosynthesis The gas lost from the leaves

by diffusion through stomata
during the day.

Excretory
product

Source

Method of excretion

Water

Transpiration

Water is lost through

transpiration.

Calcium
oxalate

Metabolism

Tannins

Metabolism

Deposited in the form of

crystals in leaves and stems.
They are removed from the
plants when the leaves fall.
Stored in leaves and fruits.
They are removed when these
are shed from the plants.

4. Some other complex waste products of

plants include latex, resins and gum.
These substances are stored in plants and
are released when the plants die and
decay.
5. Some of them are useful to human beings.
a. latex tyres, gloves and shoes
b. resins - paints