KIRINJIKO ISLAMIC

SECONDARY SCHOOL
FORM THREE 2023/2024
BIOLOGY
TOPIC 4: EXCRETION
DATE: 06/09/2023
 Meaning Excretion
Excretion is the process of removing metabolic
waste products from the body.
• Metabolic wastes are produced as the result
chemical reactions taking place in the cells e.g.
cellular respiration.
• Metabolism produces useful products as well as
toxic (poisonous) by-products.
• The toxic substances have to be removed as
they are harmful if allowed to accumulate.
 The importance of excretion
i. It helps to remove toxic waste products
e.g. urea, carbon dioxide gas etc.
ii. It helps remove excess materials from our
bodies like, soluble vitamins, drugs.
iii. It helps to regulate pH of body fluids. By
removing excess bile pigment through
liver.
iv. It helps to regulate water contents in the
body. Excess water are removed as sweat
or urine.
v. It helps to regulates salt content in the
body.
 Major excretory products
• The major excretory products eliminated by
organisms are carbon dioxide, excess water, and
nitrogenous wastes.
1. Carbon dioxide gas
• This is produced during the cellular respiration
and its excreted through breathing.
2. Excess water
• This is formed during various metabolic activities
and its excreted inform of sweat and urine
 3. Nitrogenous waste
• These are waste formed from the breakdown of
proteins and amino acids.
• Excess protein and amino acid are broken down in
the liver to form ammonia.
• The process where amino acid is broken down to
form ammonia in the liver is called Deamination.
Types of Nitrogenous waste
• The main nitrogenous wastes excreted by living
things are ammonia, urea and uric acid.
 i. Ammonia waste
• This is due to breaking down of excess proteins
and amino acid in the liver.
• It is highly toxic and highly soluble in water
• Ammonia is excreted mostly by aquatic
organisms like fish, since it require large amount
of water to flush it out
• Animals excreting ammonia are called
Ammonotelic
 Nitrogenous waste cont..
ii. Urea
• This is formed when ammonia combine with
carbon dioxide in the liver.
• Urea is less toxic and less soluble than ammonia.
• It is excreted by animals like mammals, shark
and adult amphibians.
• Animals excreting urea are called Ureotelic
 Nitrogenous waste cont..

iii. Uric acid

• This is not toxic and its insoluble in water
• Its excreted by birds, reptiles, and insects
• Its poor solubility is an advantage if water
conservation is needed.
• Animals excreting uric acid are called Uricotelics
 Other metabolic waste
The other waste products eliminate by living things are
i. Hormone
• This waste is result of excess production of hormone
especially to female during the pregnancy e.g HCG
(Human chorionic Gonadotropin) is produced in excess
• This hormone is responsible for stimulating corpus of
luteum to produce progesterone to maintain pregnancy
ii. Cholesterol
• This waste is result from excess in take of fat especially
by mammals.
iii. Billirubin (bile)
• This waste is from breaking down of haemoglobin
compound in mammals.
Excretion in Human beings
Excretion in human being is done through
Lungs, Skin, Liver and Kidneys
Organ Excretory product

1. Lung Carbon dioxide and

water vapour
2. Kidney Urea, Excess water &
Salt
3. Skin Excess water and salts.

4. Liver Urea and Bile (bilirubin)

 The Human urinary system
• The urinary system is the system concerned with
production, storage and removal of urine.
• This system filters the blood, remove waste and
extra water which become a component of urine.
Diagram of human urinary system
 Parts of urinary system
1. kidneys
• These are bean-shaped organs which help the
body to excrete urine by filtering waste and
excess water from the blood.
• There are two kidneys which are the right kidney
and the left kidney.
2. Ureters
• These are pair of ducts or tubes that carries urine
from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.
• Ureters wall consist of smooth muscles which
contract to force urine downward, away from the
kidneys.
3. Urinary Bladder
• The muscular sac for temporary storage of urine
before being excreted out of the body.
• The bladder walls relax (expand) to store urine,
and also contract and to remove urine from the
body.
 4. Sphincter muscles
• This helps to control flow of urine from the bladder.
5. Urethra
• This carry urine from bladder to the outside of the
body.
• In female, urethra carry urine outside the body while
in male; urethra carry urine and sperm outside the
body.
The Internal structure of a kidney
 From the diagram above,

The internal structure of kidney is composed of

three basic regions such as Cortex, Medulla and
Pelvis.
1. Cortex
• The cortex is the outer part of the kidney where
blood is filtered.
• This part has numerous glomeruli for filtration
of blood contents.
 2. Medulla
• The medulla is the inner part of the kidney
• It consists of loops of Henle, blood vessels
of nephron and collecting ducts which
together form renal pyramids.
3. Pelvis
• This is a part of the kidney where urine is
collected and leads urine to ureter.
 Roles of kidney in excretion
i. Regulation of blood pressure
ii.Regulation of blood pH
iii.
They maintain appropriate water and salt balance
iv.They filter blood to remove toxic waste products
like urea
v. Reabsorption of useful substances like salts
 Nephron
• Nephron is the basic functional unit of the kidney
involved in production of urine.
• It act as filters and remove the waste products
from blood (urine).
• Each kidney possesses a large number of
nephrons approximately one million.
Structure of the Nephron
 Parts of the Nephron
1. Afferent arteriole
• Afferent arteriole carries blood to the glomerulus
capsule
2. Efferent arteriole
• Efferent arteriole carries blood away from the
glomerulus to different part of the body.
3. Glomerulus
• A network of capillaries surrounded by the
Bowman's capsule. It receives and filter small
molecules in blood like water, glucose, urea and
mineral salt.
• The large particles in blood is taken from the
glomerulus through efferent artery to other parts of
body.
 Parts of nephron cont..

4. Bowman’s capsule
• A round cup like structure which encloses a
glomerulus.
• It receive glomerular filtrates i.e mineral salts,
glucose, urea and water.
5. Proximal convoluted tube
• This is the coiled tube extended from
Bowman’s capsule to the descending loop of
Henle for reabsorption of glucose, amino acid,
potassium and calcium ions.
 6. Loop of Henle
• The U-shaped part of the nephron, located between
the proximal and distal convoluted tubules.
• Loop of Henle help to reabsorb water and salt (Nacl).
• Animals with long loop of Henle store large amount
of water in their body for long period of time.
• It is one of the adaptive feature for animals living in
desert area.
 Parts of loop of Henle

It is divided into two parts which are

I. Descending loop of Henle
• This part is permeable to water. Therefore, water is
reabsorbed.
ii. Ascending part loop of Henle
• This part is permeable to sodium ions. Therefore,
sodium ions are reabsorbed.
7. Distal convoluted tubule
• This is the coiled tube that extended from ascending
loop of Henle to the collecting duct.
• It helps in reabsorption of Sodium ions and water
8. Collecting ducts
• These are small tubes that direct urine to the pelvis
then to the ureter.
• Once in the ureter, the urine can be pushed into the
bladder for elimination.
 Questions
• Why proximal and distal convoluted tubule are
highly coiled?
• Give reason, why camel adapt well in desert?
• How aquatic animals are adapted in their
environment, in context of water reabsorption
 Mechanism of urine formation
• The process of urine formation in the body involve
three process steps such as Filtration, Reabsorption
and Secretion.
1. Glomerular Filtration (Ultrafiltration)
• This takes place when the blood enter glomerulus via
afferent arterioles, whereby the small molecules like
amino acid, water, salt, glucose, and urea are filtered
out as glomerular filtrates which is collected in the
Bowman capsule while large molecules like red blood
cell and protein are retained in the blood capillaries.
 2. Selective Reabsorption
• As glomerular filtrates moves along the tubules ,
most of the substance are reabsorbed back into
the blood.
• Only useful substances are reabsorbed, this
process is called selective reabsorption
• When blood passes in proximal convoluted
tubule; glucose, amino acid and some water are
reabsorbed.
• As filtrates moves down the descending limb of
the loop of Henle; most of the salt is reabsorbed
(sodium).
 Selective Reabsorption Cont.….
• Then filtrates moves to the distal convoluted tubule
whereby water is reabsorbed into the blood by
osmosis.
• The filtrates then flow to the collecting duct where
more water is reabsorbed, the remaining filtrate is
know as urine
 Removal of material (urine)
• This is when the glomerular filtrates (urine) remained
after reabsorption of water in the collecting duct flow
into the pelvis of the kidney, which then flow to the
ureter and is temporarily stored in the bladder .
• When the bladder is full the impulse is sent to the
brain, and person feel the need to urinate.
Diagram to illustrate the processes of urine formation
 Adaptations of urinary system
• Presence of wide afferent arteriole and narrow
efferent arteriole enabling high blood pressure to
facilitates ultrafiltration of materials.
• Presence of semi permeable glomerular capillaries
to allow selective reabsorption of materials
• Presence of Bowman's capsule for collecting and
directing glomerular filtrates to the nephron tubules
• Presence of coiled proximal and distal convoluted
tubules to increase length, therefore increasing
surface area for reabsorption of materials.
• Presence of numerous nephrons for excretion of
waste products
• Presence of sphincter muscles to control flow of
urine
 Disorders of the excretory system
• Excretory disorders involves
infections or conditions affecting
excretory organs
• Some of complication and
disorders of excretory system are
Kidney stones and Kidney
failure.
 1.Kidney stones
• This occur when salts like
calcium and other substances
crystallize in the kidney.
Causes
• Crystallization of salt, lack of
vitamins, drugs, inadequate
intake of water.
 Kidney stone cont.…

Symptoms
• Blood in urine – due to stone
scratching the wall of kidney or
ureter
• Pain during the urination, back
pain, fever, nausea and
vomiting
 Effects
• Kidney failure, obstruction of
ureter and toxicity due to
urine staying in the body for a
long time
 Kidney stones cont.…
Prevention/Treatment
• Drink plenty of water
• Take balance diet that’s low of
protein(such as red meat,
eggs, and seafood that may
boost the level of uric acid),
sodium and calcium
Prevention cont

•Surgical treatment to
remove stones
•Kidney transplant
 2. Kidney failure

•This is the failure of kidney

to perform its work properly
due to partial/total
destruction of nephron
•Kidney fail can be
categorized into acute
kidney failure and chronic
kidney failure.
• Acute kidney failure; occurs
when kidneys suddenly fails
to perform its work caused by
accident/complications during
surgery
• Chronic kidney failure;
occurs when a disease slowly
destroys the kidneys e.g
diabetes mellitus. It may take
even years, usually with no
symptoms until the late stage
of kidney failure
 Kidney failure cont.…
causes
•Damage to kidney due to
accident
•Low blood volume due to
excessive bleeding
•Poor intake of fluids
•Kidney stones
 Symptoms
• Oedema (Swelling of
legs,face, hands) due to
excess fluids
• Loss of appetite, Shortness of
breath
• Urea in blood (leading to
vomiting, blood in urine)
 Kidney failure cont.…

Effects
•Muscle cramps and
paralysis, loss of memory,
back pain and death if both
kidneys fails
 Preventions/Treatment
•Drinks a lot of water and
fresh juices, manage
diabetes and reduce intake
of salts
•Kidney transplant
3. Urinary track infections (UTI)s

• This is an infection in any part

of the urinary system. In most
cases UTIs affects Urethra
called Urethritis caused by
bacteria/ virus and Bladder
called Cystitis caused by
bacteria Escherichia coli
 Symptoms
• Frequent urination, pain
during urination, cloudy urine,
smelling urine
Effects
• Premature birth and low birth
weight in women's
• Urethral narrowing in men's
 UTIs cont..
Preventions/ Treatments
• Toilet hygiene
• Drinking a lot of fluids
• Urinating as soon after sexual
intercourse
• Cleaning the anus from the
front to back (in women) since
they have short urethra which
is close to the anus
 4.Diabetes insipidus

•This is the excessive

production of dilute urine
•Caused by under
secretion of Antidiuretic
hormone (ADH) by
pituitary gland
 Prevention
•Physical exercise
•Visiting health center for
proper treatment
 5. Gout
• This is the abnormal production
of uric acid which are then
deposited to joints and tissues
• Caused by red meat and alcohol
consumption
 Gout cont..

Symptoms
• Difficulty in walking, swollen joints,
pain due to crystal formation in joints
and red/purplish skin around the
affected joint
Effects
• Inability to walk and kidney stone
 Prevention
• Drinking a lot of water, avoid
red meat and alcohol
consumption
• Medical treatment
Excretion in plants

Qn; why plants do not need

specialized excretory system like
animals? Answer
• Due to slow rate of producing waste
products
• They produce less poisonous
substance
• They release products that can be
recycled like water, oxygen and
carbon dioxide
Excretion in plants cont
• They have large vacuole for
storing wastes products
• They have stomata and lenticels
for removing excretory products
• They store waste In organs that
are destined to die (fall off)
 How excretion is carried out in plants?

• Plants mainly excrets water,

oxygen and carbon dioxide
• The gases (carbon dioxide) and
(oxygen) diffuse out through
stomata in the leaves and through
lenticels.
• Excess water evaporates via
stomata and also from the outer
surface of the stem, fruits, etc.
Some wastes products in
plants are stored within their
leaves or barks. These
wastes are periodically
removed as the leaves and
barks fall off.
 Economic importance of waste materials excreted by plants

1.Oxygen; is useful in
organisms for respiration.
2.Gum; is a sticky substance
used to staining substance
acts as growth media for
microorganism i.e agar
extracts from algae
3.Rubber;This is used for
manufacturing tyres &
shoes.
4.Alkaloids; These are
toxic wastes produced by
medicinal plants.
 Examples of alkaloids
a)Nicotine; Obtained from
tobacco causing lung
cancer
b)Cocaine waste; Obtained
from leaves of coca
plants. Cocaine acts as
stimulants
 Alkaloids cont..
c)Quinine; From bark of
cinchona tree, for treatment
of malaria
d)Caffein; From coffee, acts
as stimulant but excess
lead to heat diseases
e)Khat(miraa); from khat
plant, acts as stimulants
f)Pyrethrins; from
flowers of pyrethrum
for making
insecticides
THANK
YOU
Prepared by
Sir. Mfinanga