11.3/3.5 Flashcards
define osmoregulators
maintain a constant internal solute concentration, even when living in marine environments with very different osmolarities.
3 examples of osmoregulators
- all terrestrial animals.
- freshwater animals.
- some marine organisms (eg. bony fish).
define osmoconformers
animals whose internal solute concentration tens to be the same as the concentration of solutes in the environment.
what is the form of waste product in insects vs mammals?
insects - uric acid
animals - urea
define Malpighian tubules
tubes that branch off from insects’ intestinal tract.
explain how insects secrete nitrogenous waste
- excreted as uric acid by Malpighian tubules
1. ammonia accumulates in hemolymph
2. ammonia absorbed by Malpighian tubules
3. ammonia converted to uric acid
4. conversion to uric acid requires energy
5. high solute concentration in Malpighian tubules due to active transport of Na+/K+ into Malpighian tubules
6. water absorbed by osmosis flushes uric acid/nitrogenous waste to hindgut
7. water/ions reabsorbed from the feces and returned to hemolymph
8. uric acid precipitates, becoming a solid so can pass out with little water
9. uric acid excreted/egested with the feces
10. water conservation/osmoregulation
11. uric acid is non-toxic
function of the kidney
osmoregualtion and excretion
which substances are present in higher amounts in the renal artery than the renal vein?
- excretory waste products like urea
- excess water, produced by cell respiration or absorbed from food in the gut
- excess sal, absorbed from food in the gut
outline the difference in water/salt concentrations in blood in the renal artery and vein.
blood in the renal artery might contain a variable water or salt content, whereas blood in the renal vein will have a more constant concentration because osmoregulation has occurred.
3 ways in which metabolic activity of the kidney affects the composition of blood in the renal artery and vein
- blood leaving the kidney deoxygenated relative to the renal artery because kidney metabolism requires O2
- higher partial pressure of CO2 because this is a waste product of metabolism.
- some glucose is used by the metabolism of the kidney and therefore the concentration is slightly lower in the renal vein compared to artery.
what substance is present in the same concentration in both the renal artery and vein?
plasma proteins, since they are not filtered by the kidney.
site of ultrafiltration
Bowman’s capsule of nephron
how is high hydrostatic pressure created in glomerulus?
diameter of afferent arteriole > diameter of efferent arteriole
3 characteristics of ultrafiltration system
- fenestrations: pores between the cells in the wall of the capillaries, which allow fluid to escape, but not blood cells.
- podocytes: form the inner wall of the Bowman’s capsule. these cells have extensions that wrap around the capillaries of the glomerulus and many short side branches called foot processes. very narrow gaps between the foot processes help prevent small molecules from being filtered out of blood in the glomerulus.
- basement membrane: covers and supports the wall of the capillaries. made of negatively-charged glycoproteins, which form a mesh. prevents plasma proteins from being filtered out, due to their size and negative charge.
define the glomerular filtrate
fluid that passes through the glomerulus into the capsule space.
role of the proximal convoluted tubule
selectively reabsorbs useful substances by active transport.
describe how the kidney functions
check
function of ADH
controls reabsorption of water in the collecting duct.
if solute concentration of blood too high
hypothalamus of brain detects this and causes the pituitary gland to secrete ADH.
- this hormone causes the walls of the distal convoluted tubule and collecting duct to become more permeable to water, and most of the water in the filtrate is reabsorbed.
- this is helped by the solute concentration gradient of the medulla.
- as the filtrate passes down the collecting duct, it flows deep into the medulla, where the solute concentration of the interstitial fluid is high.
- water continues to be reabsorbed along the whole length of the collecting duct and the kidney produces a small volume of concentrated urine.
- consequently, the solute concentration of blood is reduced.
define osmoregulation
control of solute concentrations and water balance.
what is the form of nitrogenous water when animals break down amino acids and nucleic acids?
ammonia.
why is ammonia problematic
- highly basic and can alter the pH balance.
- toxic as it is a highly reactive chemical.
why can organisms that live in a marine or freshwater habitat release the waste directly as ammonia?
it can be easily diluted within that environment.
what is the difference between converting ammonia to urea and converting ammonia to uric acid?
ammonia to uric acid requires even more energy.
what is the advantage of uric acid?
it is not water-soluble and therefore does not require water to be released.