Kidney

Question 1

What is the basic structure/appearance of the kidney?

Answer 1

• reddish/brown
• attached to the back of the abdominal cavity
• surrounded by a thick, protective layer of fat and a layer of fibrous connective tissue

Question 2

What are the 2 homestatic roles do kidneys have in the body?

Answer 2

• excretion
  
  • filter nitrogenous waste products out of the blood, especially urea
• osmoregulation
  
  • maintain the water balance and pH of blood
  • hence the tissue fluid that surrounds all the cells

Question 3

How are kidneys supplied with blood/

Answer 3

• at arterialy by the renal arteries that branch of from the adominal aorta
• blood that has ciculated the kidneys is removed by the renal vein
  
  • this drains blood into the inferior vena cava

Question 4

What are kidneys made up of?

Answer 4

• millions of small structures called nephrons
  
  • act as filtering units

Question 5

How does urine pass from the kidney? Where does it end up?

Answer 5

• passes out of the kidneys down tubes called ureters
• collected in the bladder

Question 6

How does urine exit th e body?

Answer 6

• when the bladder is getting full, the sphincter at the exit to the bladder open
• urine passes out of the body down the urethra

Question 7

What are the three main area of the kidney that you can see if you slice it open?

Answer 7

1. cortex
2. medulla
3. pelvis

Question 8

What is the cortex?

Answer 8

• dark outer layer
• this is where the filtering of the blood takes place
• dense capillary network
  
  • capillaries carry the blood from the renal arter to the nephrons

Question 9

What is the medulla?

Answer 9

• lighter in colour
• contrains the tubuiles of the nephroms that forms the pyramids of the kidney and the collecting ducts

Question 10

What is the pelvis

Answer 10

• latin for basin
• central chamber where the urine collects before passing out down the ureter