Chapter 7 & 8: Homeostasis Flashcards
Ureters
Tubes that conduct urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
Urethra
Tube that carries urine from the bladder to the exterior of the body.
Cortex
The outer layer of the kidney
Medulla
The area inside of the cortex.
Renal Pelvis
the area where the kidney joins the ureter.
Nephrons
Functional Units of the kidneys
Afferent Arterioles
Small branches that carry blood to the glomerulus.
Glomerulus
High- Pressure capillary bed that is the site of filtration.
Efferent Arterioles
Small branches that carry blood away from the glomerulus to a capillary net.
Peritubular Capillaries
A network of small blood vessels that surround the nephron.
Bowman’s Capsule
Cuplike structure that surrounds the glomerulus.
Proximal Tubule
Section of the nephron joining the Bowman’s capsule with the loop of Henle
Loop of Henle
Carries filtrate from the proximal tubule to the distal tubule.
Distal Tubule
Conducts urine from the loop of Henle to the collecting duct.
Collecting Duct
Tube that carries urine from nephrons to the pelvis of a kidney.
Filtration
The process by which blood or body fluids pass through a selectively permeable membrane.
Reabsorption
Transfer of glomerular filtrate from the nephron back into the capillaries.
Secretion
Movements of materials, such as ammonia and some drugs, from the blood back into the distal tubule.
Threshold Level
The maximum amount of material that can be moved across the nephron.
Interstitial Fluid
The fluid that surrounds the body cells
Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)
Causes the kidneys to increase water reabsorption.
Osmoreceptors
Specialized nerve cells in the hypothalamus that detect changes in the osmotic pressure of the blood and surrounding extracellular fluids (ECF).
Homeostasis
The process by which a constant internal environment is maintained despite changes in the external environment.
Dynamic Equilibrium
A condition that remains stable within fluctuating limits.
Negative Feedback
The process by which a mechanism is activated to restore conditions to their original state.
Positive Feedback
Process by which a small effect is amplified.
Thermoregulation
Maintenance of body temperature within a range that enables cells to function efficiently.
Hypothalamus
Region of the vertebrate’s brain responsible for coordinating many nerve and hormone functions.
Deamination
Removal of an amino group from an organic compound.
Urea
Nitrogen waste formed from two molecules of ammonia and one molecule of carbon dioxide.
Uric Acid
Waste product formed from the breakdown of nucleic acids.
Contractile Vacuole
A structure in unicellular organisms that maintains osmotic equilibrium by pumping fluid out from the cell.
Aldosterone
Hormone that increases Na+ reabsorption from the distal tubule and collecting duct.
Xenotransplants
Transplants from one species to another; the word xeno means “strange” or “foreign”.