BI 103 Lecture Notes: Chapter 31: The Urinary System

I. Basic urinary system functions

            A. Helps maintain homeostasis: regulate composition of blood/fluids

                        1) Filter blood

                        2) Selectively reabsorb nutrients

                        3) Excrete remaining water and dissolved wastes   

II. Invertebrates (tues-thurs class only)

            A.  Protonephridia (flatworms)

                        1. first specialized excretory system

                        2. flame cells and network of tubules perform filtering/reabosorbing/excretion

            B. Nephridia (earthworms: in each segment)

                        1. Fluids collected through nephrostome

                        2. Nutrients reabsorbed, wastes leave through excretory pore.

III. Verebrates: Mammals

            A. True kidneys:

                        1. Regulate blood

                                    a. ion levels, water content, pH, nutrient retention

                        2. Secrete hormones

                                    a. Maintain blood pressure and [O2] in blood

                        3. Eliminate cellular waste (eg urea: byproduct of protein metabolism)

                                   

IV. Human urinary system

            A. Parts of the human urinary system

                        1. Kidneys:

                                    a.  filter blood, reabsorb nutrients

                        2. Ureters

                                    a.  Transport urine away from kidney via peristalsis

                        3. Bladder

                                    a. Store urine, capacity about 500 ml

                        4. Urethra

                                    a. Transport urine from bladder to outside of body

                                    b. internal (invol) and external (vol) sphincters

            B.  Kidney anatomy

            1. Renal Artery: bring blood to be filtered (about 1.25 L per minute)

            2. Renal Veins: carry away filtered blood

            3. Solid outer area where urine is formed (contains neprhons: 1 million/kidney)

                        1.  Renal Cortex

                        2.  Renal Medulla

            4.  Renal pelvis: collects urine, funnels to ureter

C. Nephron anatomy

            1. Glomerulus

            2. Bowman’s capsule

            3. Tubule: Conducting tube (See figure 31-6 in text)

                        1. Proximal tubule

                        2. Loop of Henle

                        3. Distal tubule

                        4. Collecting duct

D. Nephron physiology

            A. Steps in function

                        1. Filtration: materials forced from glomerulus into bowman’s capsule

                                    a. filtrate: filtered materials

                        2. Tubular reabsorption

                                    a. water, nutrients returned to blood from proximal tubule, loop of henle

                                    b. active transport (nutrients), and osmosis by water

                        3. Tubular secretion

                                    a. wastes, excess substances moved from blood into filtrate

                                    b. happens in distal tubule

                        4. Concentration

                                    a. Additional water removed by osmosis from collecting ducts

                       

V. Homeostatic Functions of the Kidney

            A.  Accomplishments of nephrons of kidney:

                        1. Eliminate waste

                        2. Balance [Ion]

                        3. Maintain pH

            B. Also

                        4. Regulate water balance (see fig 31-8 or 30-8? In old text)

                                    a. Collecting duct permeability controlled via hormones

                                                1. ADH from posterior pituitary:

                                                            a. increases water reabsorption to blood

                                                2. controlled by negative feedback loop

                                                3. alcohol suppresses ADH production/release

                                                4. Caffeine interferes with ADH signaling

                        5. Regulate blood pressure

                                    a. Low blood pressureà kidneys release renin

                                                1. catalyzes formation of angiotensin

                                                            a. constricts arterioles, increasing blood pressure

                        6. Regulate [O2] in blood

                                    a.  Low [O2] in blood, kidneys release erythropoietin,

                                                1. increases RBC production in bone marrow