What are the 3 main roles of the kidneys?

  1. Regulate water levels.
  2. Regulate ion levels.
  3. Remove urea. 

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

How is urea made and excreted?

  1. If the body has more amino acids than it needs, it can convert them into lipids or carbohydrates which can be stored as an energy source for later.
  2. This process is called 'deamination', and takes place in the liver.
  3. The process of deamination produces urea.
  4. Urea is excreted by the kidneys.

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

Other than the kidneys, how else are ions lost from the body?

Sweating.

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

Why is it important to regulate water levels in the body?

Too much water could cause our cells to swell or burst, whilst too little water could cause them to shrink. 

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

What do we call the process by which water enters or leaves cells?

Osmosis

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

What do we call the basic unit of the kidney, shown in the diagram above?

Nephron

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

With regards to kidneys, what does the term 'filtration' (or 'ultrafiltration') mean?

As blood passes through the kidneys, small substances (like glucose, urea, and water) will pass from the blood into the tubule of the nephron.


This process is called filtration, as only small substances are 'filtered' through. 

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

With regards to kidneys, what does the term 'selective reabsorption' mean?

As the filtrate passes through the tubule of the nephron, useful substances like glucose are reabsorbed into the blood.


This process is called selective reabsorption because we only reabsorb the substances that we want back into our bloodstream.

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

What is the name of the structure labelled A?

Tubule

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

What is the name of the structure labelled X?

Capillary

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

Which substances are not filtered from the blood into the kidney tubules? 

Large things such as red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and large proteins.

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

Which hormone is responsible for regulating water levels in the body? 

Antidiuretic hormone (ADH).

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

Which part of the brain monitors the level of water in the body?

Hypothalamus.

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

Does ADH increase or decrease the concentration of water in our bloodstream?

ADH will increase the concentration of water in our bloodstream.

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

What type of feedback does the body use to regulate water levels?

Negative feedback.

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.

How does the body respond to high water levels?


(include all the steps in your answer)

  1. The hypothalamus detects the high concentration of water in the bloodstream.
  2. This causes it to stop sending signals to the pituitary gland, which will cause the pituitary gland to stop releasing as much antidiuretic hormone (ADH).
  3. As less ADH travels around the body, the kidneys won't be stimulated to reabsorb water from the tubules into the blood.
  4. This means that more water stays in the tubules and more urine will be made.
  5. As a result, the concentration of water in the blood will fall. 

Answer in your head, out loud, or on paper, then tap the card to flip.