11.3 The kidney and osmoregulation Flashcards
What is excretion?
The removal from the body of the waste products of metabolic activity
What are the two key6 functions an excretory system performs?
- removes nitrogenous wastes that may be toxic to the body in large concentrations
- removes excess water to maintain osmolarity in the body
How are nitrogenous wastes produced?
From the breakdown of nitrogen containing compounds - amino acids/nucleotides
Why must excess levels of nitrogenous waste be eliminated from the body?
Nitrogenous wastes are toxic to the body
What is correlated with the evolutionary history of the animal and the habitat?
Type of nitrogenous waste in animals
What do most aquatic animals eliminate their nitrogenous waste as?
Ammonia
Why can ammonia be effectively flushed by animals in aquatic habitats?
As it is water soluble
How do mammals eliminate their nitrogenous waste as ?
Urea
How are nitrogenous waste eliminated from reptiles and birds?
Uris acid
What is a downside of Uris acid?
Requires more energy to make
What is a downside of Uris acid?
Requires more energy to make
What are the good things about Uric acid?
relatively non toxic and requires less water to flush
Why are water levels constantly changing?
As a result of metabolic activity
How is water produced?
Via condensation reactions
How is water consumed?
During hydrolysis reactions
What will impact tissue viability?
The concentration of water within cells
What are the two types of animals in accordance to how they manage their internal osmotic conditions?
Osmoconformers or osmoregulators
What are osmoconformers?
Osmoconformers maintain internal conditions that are equal to the osmolarity of their environment
What are osmoregulators?
Osmoregulators keep their body’s osmolarity constant regardless of environmental conditions
By matching osmotic conditions to the environment, what do osmoconformers minimise?
Water movement in and out of cells
What is a more energy intensive process, Osmoconformers and osmoregulators?
Osmoregulation
What are osmoconformers affected by?
Environmental conditions
In mammals is the excretory system separate from the digestive system of the animal?
Yes
In insects, is the excretory system separate from the digestive system?
No it is connected