Kidney Functions Flashcards
What are nephrons?
Filtration units in the kidneys.
What is needed to squeeze the water, urea, ions and sugar out of the blood and into Bowman’s capsule.?
A high pressure.
What does the membrane between blood vessels and the Bowman’s capsule act like?
A filter, so big molecules like proteins and blood cells are not squeezed out.
What happens when liquid flows along the nephron?
Useful substances are reabsorbed back into the blood.
What is reabsorbed back into the blood?
Sugar, water and sufficient ions are all reabsorbed back into the blood.
What process is needed for sugars to be reabsorbed?
Active transport - against the concentration gradient.
What happens to the remaining substances?
They continue out of the nephron, into the ureter and down to the bladder as urine.
