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Biology 2 Lecture 9 - Urinary System

The urogenital system, also called the genitourinary system, consists of the urinary system and reproductive system. The urinary system regulates water balance and removes waste from the body through production of urine. It includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The kidneys contain millions of nephrons, the functional units that filter blood to form urine. Urine passes from the nephrons through tubes to the bladder for storage then exits through the urethra. Hormones help regulate urine concentration and excretion.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
71 views29 pages

Biology 2 Lecture 9 - Urinary System

The urogenital system, also called the genitourinary system, consists of the urinary system and reproductive system. The urinary system regulates water balance and removes waste from the body through production of urine. It includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The kidneys contain millions of nephrons, the functional units that filter blood to form urine. Urine passes from the nephrons through tubes to the bladder for storage then exits through the urethra. Hormones help regulate urine concentration and excretion.

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ryle34
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Urogenital System

Joshua Evans M. Bajao, MSc


Urogenital System
• Also called as the genitourinary system
• Organs or organ systems concerned
with urinary excretion and reproduction
• Consists of:
• Urinary/excretory System
• Reproductive System
Urinary System
Water and solute balance in the Body
• Animals consist mostly of water with many
dissolved salts and other solutes
• To retain homeostasis, the body must keep the
solute composition of the extracellular matrix
within normal range
• Homeostasis – tendency towards relative stable
equilibrium. In biology, defined as a stable state of an
organism and its internal environment
• Osmoregulation – controlling the solute
concentrations and balance water gain/loss
Urinary System
Animals can maintain water balance in one
of two ways
• Osmoconformers are isoosmotic with
their surroundings and do not regulate
their osmolarity
• Osmoregulators expend energy to control
water uptake and loss in a hyperosmotic
or hypoosmotic environment
Urinary System
Urinary System
• Some aquatic invertebrates in temporary ponds lose almost all their body
water and survive in a dormant state. This adaptation is called anhydrobiosis
• Tardigrades (water bears) can dehydrate from about 85% water to 2% water in
the dehydrated, inactive state
Urinary System
• The type and quantity of an animal’s waste
products may greatly affect its water balance
Example: breakdown of proteins produces ammonia
• Ammonia (NH3) is a naturally occurring
compound. At room temperature, NH3 is
a colorless, highly irritating gas with a
pungent and suffocating odor.
• Most animals have organs that rid their
body of waste ammonia and other
unwanted solutes
Urinary System: Conversion of Ammonia
• Ammonia, due to its toxicity, are
converted into either urea or uric
acid in order for it to be stored
• Urea – can be stored. However,
requires water for disposal
• Uric Acid – are safer than ammonia
and urea. Hence, can be disposed
without needing a copious amount
of water
Urinary System: Conversion of Ammonia
• Ammonia, due to its toxicity, are
converted into either urea or uric
acid in order for it to be stored
• Urea – can be stored. However,
requires water for disposal
• Uric Acid – are safer than ammonia
and urea. Hence, can be disposed
without needing a copious amount
of water
The Influence of Evolution and
Environment on Nitrogenous Wastes
• The kind of nitrogenous wastes
excreted depends on an animal’s
evolutionary history and habitat,
especially water availability
• Another factor is the immediate
environment of the animal egg
• The amount of nitrogenous waste is
coupled to the animal’s energy budget
Urinary System
• Most excretory systems produce urine by
refining a filtrate derived from body fluids
• Key functions of most excretory systems
• Filtration: Filtering of body fluids
• Reabsorption: Reclaiming valuable solutes
• Secretion: Adding nonessential solutes and
wastes to the filtrate
• Excretion: Processed filtrate containing
nitrogenous wastes is released from the body
Urinary System
Primitive Animals
• Nephridium – tubular organ of primitive
invertebrates that takes up body fluid at one
end and expels excess water and unwanted
solutes at the other end
• Two Types:
• Protonephridium
• Metanephridium
Urinary System
Primitive Animals: Two Types
• Protonephridium
• Main excretory system of primitive
invertebrates such as Platyhelminthes
(flatworms)
• The smallest branches of the network
are capped by a cellular unit called a
flame bulb
• These tubules excrete a dilute fluid
and function in osmoregulation
Urinary System
Primitive Animals: Two Types
• Metanephridium
• Metanephridia consist of tubules
that collect coelomic fluid and
produce dilute urine for excretion
• Metanephridia of earthworms
function in excretion and
osmoregulation
Urinary System
Insects and Spiders
• In insects and other terrestrial arthropods,
Malpighian tubules remove nitrogenous
wastes from hemolymph and function in
osmoregulation
• Insects produce a relatively dry waste
matter, mainly uric acid, an important
adaptation to terrestrial life
• This system is capable of conserving water
very effectively
Urinary System:
Advance organisms
Human Urinary System
• Also called as the Renal System
• The organ system that filters the
blood of unwanted metabolic
wastes
• Filtration is done in the kidney
• The one responsible for creating
urine
• Capable of eliminating 0.8-2.0mL
of urine per day
Human Urinary System
Parts of the Kidney
• Renal Cortex
• Outer section of the kidney after the
renal capsule
• Renal Medulla
• Pyramid-shaped inner structure
inside the kidney
• Urine is created through the Nephron
• the most basic/functional unit of the
kidney
• Separates water, ions, and other small
molecules from the blood
Human Urinary System
Parts of the Nephron
Renal Corpuscle
• Also called as the Malpighian body
• Filtration unit of the nephron
• Consists of a knot of capillaries,
called the Glomerulus, and a
double-walled capsule, or the
Bowman’s Capsule, that drains into
a tubule
Human Urinary System
Parts of the Nephron
Proximal Tubule
• Reabsorption of ions, water, and nutrients
takes place in the proximal tubule
• Molecules are transported actively and
passively from the filtrate into the interstitial
fluid and then capillaries
• As the filtrate passes through the
proximal tubule, materials to be excreted
become concentrated
• Some toxic materials are actively secreted
into the filtrate
Human Urinary System
Parts of the Nephron
Loop of Henle
• U-shaped portion of a kidney tubule;
connects the proximal and distal
regions of the tubule
• Two parts: ascending and descending
loop of Henle
Human Urinary System
Parts of the Nephron
Loop of Henle: Descending loop of Henle
• Reabsorption of water continues through
channels formed by aquaporin proteins
• Movement is driven by the high
osmolarity of the interstitial fluid, which
is hyperosmotic to the filtrate
• The filtrate becomes increasingly
concentrated
Human Urinary System
Parts of the Nephron
Loop of Henle: Ascending loop of Henle
• In the ascending limb of the loop of
Henle, salt but not water is able to diffuse
from the tubule into the interstitial fluid
• The filtrate becomes increasingly dilute
Human Urinary System
Parts of the Nephron
Distal Tubule
• The distal tubule regulates the K+ and
NaCl concentrations of body fluids
• The controlled movement of ions (H+ and
HCO3–) contributes to pH regulation
Human Urinary System
Parts of the Nephron
Collecting Tubule
• The collecting duct carries filtrate
through the medulla to the renal pelvis
• One of the most important tasks is
reabsorption of solutes and water
• Urine is hyperosmotic to body fluids
Human Urinary
System
Nephron
Human Urinary System
Nephron

The countercurrent multiplier system


involving the loop of Henle maintains a
high salt concentration in the kidney
Urination
• Urine, collected in the Renal Pelvis,
are transported through the ureter into
the bladder where it is stored
• The bladder can hold the urine for up
to 5 hours. However, as it fills with
urine and becomes larger, the bladder
will send nerve impulses to the brain
and stimulates the need to urinate.
• The urine will be expelled through the
urethra
Urination: Hormones
• Aldosterone
• that makes kidney tubules more
permeable to sodium; encourages sodium
reabsorption, leading to more water
reabsorption and more concentrated urine
• Antidiuretics
• Antidiuretic hormones from the pituitary
gland that encourages water reabsorption
in the kidney, thus concentrating the urine
• Coffee is a famous example for diuretic
substances

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