B3.3 Homestasis NOT FINISHED Flashcards
What is homeostasis?
The maintenance of a constant internal environment
Why is homeostasis important?
If the conditions aren’t controlled in body, cells can become seriously damaged
What needs to be controlled in the body? (4)
Water content, ion content, body temperature, and blood glucose level
What are the 2 main waste products in the body?
Carbon dioxide and Urea
Why do waste products need to removed from the body?
Because they can cause damage to the body
How is carbon dioxide produced in the body?
It is a waste product of respiration in cells
Why is carbon dioxide removed from the body? And how is it removed?
It is toxic in high quantities and removed when you breathe out
How is Urea produced?
Proteins can’t be stored in the body - so excess amino acids are broken down into fats and carbs, which can be stored, this process produces urea as a waste product
Where is Urea produced?
In the liver
Why is Urea removed?
It is poisonous
Where is Urea found?
After being produced in the liver it is released into the bloodstream
How is Urea removed from the bloodstream?
The kidneys filter it out of the blood
Where is Urea stored before it is removed in urine?
In the bladder in urine
What are the main jobs of the kidneys? (3)
To remove urea, to adjust ion content and to adjust water content
How is water lost from the body? (3)
In urine, in sweat and in the air we breathe out - these factors are what water balance is between
What are the filtration units in kidneys called?
Nephrons
What are nephrons?
Tiny structures within the kidney that filter the blood - this is what produces urine
How many nephrons are found in each kidney?
Thousands
What are the 3 main steps of urine production?
Ultrafiltration, reabsorption and release of waste products
Where does the blood come from when entering the kidneys?
The renal artery
What happens in the renal artery? Where do the waste products go?
A high pressure builds up in the artery which squeezes water, urea, ions and sugar out of the blood into an area called the capsule at the start of the nephron
How does blood get into capsule?
The membrane between the artery and capsule acts like a filter preventing large molecules like proteins and blood cells from getting into the kidneys
What process in the production of urine involves active transport?
Reabsorption
What is reabsorbed from the production of urine? (3)
All the sugar (glucose), sufficient ions and sufficient water