09/01/2025
STRUCTURE & FUNCTION OF THE
KIDNEY
CSEC HUMAN & SOCIAL BIOLOGY
SYLLABUS OBJECTIVE
● distinguish between egestion and excretion;
● discuss the importance of excretion in living organisms;
● state how metabolic wastes are excreted from plants and
animals;
[5.3] relate the structures of the kidney to their function;
[5.8] explain the regulation of water;
1
09/01/2025
PAST PAPER QUESTION
(a) Both excretion and egestion are processes that remove
waste from the human body. Explain the difference between TABLE 1: ORGANS AND THEIR EXCRETORY
these two processes. [2 marks]
PRODUCTS
(b) Table 1 is an incomplete table showing some organs and
ORGAN EXCRETORY
the products that they excrete. Complete Table 1 by writing
PRODUCT
the correct answers in the spaces labelled (i), (ii) and (iii). [3
marks] Lungs (i)
(d) The results of Uncle Rajiv’s urine test show a high level of (ii) Sweat
glucose in the urine. Name the disease that this most likely
Kidneys (iii)
indicates. [1 mark]
(e) Suggest THREE constituents that would be found in Uncle
Rajiv’s urine if he is not suffering from any diseases. [3
marks]
Excretion vs
Egestion
2
09/01/2025
What is the Difference between Egestion and Excretion?
EXCRETION EGESTION
The removal of metabolic This is the removal of
waste products. undigested food out of the
digestive system.
These are products of
These substances would have
biochemical reactions that
never participated in
occur in cells of the
biochemical reactions in the
organism. organism’s cells.
Why is
Excretion
Important?
3
09/01/2025
Metabolic waste
products are
dangerous to
the organism!
Metabolic waste products can interfere
with the other biochemical reactions in
the body in various ways.
Importance of Therefore, if they are allowed to
Excretion accumulate, they can poison the
organism and cause harm, even to the
point of being lethal.
4
09/01/2025
Example -
Excess Urea
Paths of
Excretion in
Plants and
Animals
10
5
09/01/2025
Excretion in
Plants
Plants generally excrete by depositing
the waste products into parts of the
plant, that are later shed.
Examples include leaves and bark.
11
Humans & Large
Animals
Excretion occurs in several ways.
Sweating removes small amounts of urea and salts.
Breathing removes carbon dioxide.
The most important pathway though, is via the
urinary / excretory system.
Photo by Bruno Abatti on Unsplash
12
6
09/01/2025
KIDNEY EXTERNAL AND
INTERNAL STRUCTURE
13
THE URINARY SYSTEM
14
14
7
09/01/2025
STRUCTURE FUNCTION
Filters the blood, removing waste
KIDNEY products, which is combined with
water to produce urine.
Tube that connects the kidney to
the bladder. Urine is transferred
URETER from kidney to bladder for
temporary storage.
Temporary store of urine. Expels
BLADDER urine out of the body once filled.
Tube through which urine leaves
URETHRA the body from the bladder.
15
16
8
09/01/2025
17
17
STRUCTURE & FUNCTION - KIDNEY CROSS-SECTION
STRUCTURE FUNCTION
CORTEX Outer region of kidney. Ultrafiltration occurs in this area.
Middle region of the kidney. Reabsorption and osmoregulation
MEDULLA takes place here.
Urine in the collecting ducts empty into this area. Collects for
PELVIS transfer to bladder via ureter.
RENAL ARTERY & VEIN Blood supply for the kidneys.
18
9
09/01/2025
Kidney and Nephron Structure
19
19
KIDNEY NEPHRON
Source: https://open.oregonstate.education/app/uploads/sites/48/2019/07/2611_Blood_Flow_in_the_Nephron_revised.png
20
20
10
09/01/2025
21
21
STRUCTURE FUNCTION
Knot of capillaries. Facilitates the filtration
GLOMERULUS of the blood. Substance below a certain
size (eg. water and urea) are filtered out.
Acts as a receiving container for the filtrate
BOWMAN’S CAPSULE leaving the glomerulus. Once here the
mixture is called glomerular filtrate.
PROXIMAL First phase of reabsorption of useful
substances such as glucose and salts
CONVOLUTED occurs. They leave the filtrate and re-enter
TUBULE the bloodstream.
Controlled removal of water from the filtrate
LOOP OF HENLE occurs here.
Along with the collecting duct, it selectively
DISTAL CONVOLUTED transfers more water from filtrate to
TUBULE bloodstream, in response to the presence
or absence of the hormone ADH.
22
11
09/01/2025
STRUCTURE & FUNCTION OF THE KIDNEY
NEPHRON
IN OTHER WORDS,
HOW DOES THE KIDNEY PRODUCE URINE?
23
OVERVIEW
OF
NEPHRON
WRT THE EXCRETORY
PROCESS
24
12
09/01/2025
ULTRAFILTRATION
• FILTRATION OF BLOOD UNDER PRESSURE
• AFFERENT ARTERIOLE SUPPLIES THE GLOMERULUS, WHICH THEN
EMPTIES INTO EFFERENT ARTERIOLE
• AFFERENT HAS A LARGER DIAMETER (WIDER) THAN EFFERENT
ARTERIOLE. THIS GREATLY INCREASES PRESSURE IN THE
GLOMERULUS.
• INCREASED PRESSURE FORCES BLOOD AGAINST POROUS
CAPILLARY WALLS, AND MOLECULES BELOW A CERTAIN SIZE
PASSES THROUGH, INTO THE BOWMAN’S CAPSULE.
25
26
13
09/01/2025
SELECTIVE REABSORPTION & SECRETION
• BESIDES THE WASTE, SUCH AS UREA, THE
FILTRATE ALSO CONTAINS USEFUL SUBSTANCES.
THIS MUST BE RETURNED TO THE BLOOD TO
ENSURE SURVIVAL.
• ALL THE GLUCOSE IS REABSORBED. A
PERCENTAGE OF SALTS AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES ARE ALSO REABSORBED.
• SELECTIVE REABSORPTION HAPPENS VIA ACTIVE
TRANSPORT, AT THE PROXIMAL AND DISTAL
CONVOLUTED TUBULES.
• EXTRA TOXINS ARE SECRETED INTO THE
TUBULES FROM THE SURROUNDING
CAPILLARIES (AKA PERITUBULAR CAPILLARIES).
27
WATER ABSORPTION
• WATER IS MOVED FROM THE LOOP OF HENLE
TO THE SURROUNDING CAPILLARIES VIA
OSMOSIS.
• THE LOOP DIPS INTO THE MEDULLA REGION.
THIS AREA HAS A HIGH SALT CONCENTRATION.
THE RESULTING CONCENTRATION GRADIENT
ENCOURAGES THE FLOW OF WATER OUT OF
THE LOOP, INTO THE SURROUNDING
CAPILLARIES.
28
14
09/01/2025
29
OSMOREGULATION
• WATER IS REMOVED FROM FILTRATE ACCORDING TO THE
BODY’S NEEDS, UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE HORMONE
ADH.
• IF BODY IS DEHYDRATED, ADH IS RELEASED.
• ITS PRESENCE INCREASES PERMEABILITY OF WALLS OF
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE & COLLECTING DUCTS.
• MORE WATER IS REABSORBED INTO BLOODSTREAM.
• THE RESULT IS A SMALL VOLUME OF CONCENTRATED
URINE.
• THE OPPOSITE HAPPENS IF THE BODY IS VERY HYDRATED.
30
15
09/01/2025
URINE
COLLECTION
• THE FINAL SOLUTION LEAVING THE COLLECTING
DUCTS IS NOW CALLED URINE.
• THE COLLECTING DUCTS MERGE INTO EACH
OTHER AND THE URINE EMPTIES INTO THE
KIDNEY PELVIS.
• THE URINE THEN IS TRANSFERRED TO THE
BLADDER VIA THE URETER.
31
16
