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Parts of the Excretory System

The excretory system plays a vital role in ridding the body of extraneous wastes and toxins. The excretory system is made up of various internal organs that work together to detoxify the body.

  1. The Skin

    • The skin is responsible for producing sweat, which helps regulate the salt concentration in the body. When you sweat, the salt helps evaporate the water and, in turn, cools off the body.

    The Liver

    • The liver is part of the digestion system, but also plays a role in the excretory system. The liver has a small organelle called a peroxisome, which is responsible for taking high levels of toxicity and converting them to less toxic substances. Bile is a waste product in this process and is used in the digestive process.

    The Kidneys

    • The role of the kidneys is to remove nitrogenous wastes from the body. Nitrogenous means that it is rich in the element nitrogen. Nitrogen in high concentrations in the body can cause several problems such as joint pain, strokes or heart attacks. The kidney is made up three parts: the renal cortex, the renal medulla and the renal pelvis. All mammals have two kidneys. The kidney's primary function is to regulate various body fluids and salt concentration.

    The Other Parts of the Excretory System

    • The excretory system also contains the ureter, which are two tubes that lead into the bladder. The bladder holds unnecessary wastes for storage. The urethra is where urine is expelled from the body.

    Filtration

    • Blood is filtered through the kidneys by first traveling through the renal artery. The artery splits into many arterioles, which go to Bowman's Capsules that contain a bundle of capillaries called nephrons. The nephrons create a large bundle of capillaries called the glomerulus that filters the blood by taking out the toxins. Some toxins that are removed are ammonia, uric acid, medicines and antibiotics. This is also the site for reabsorbing amino acids, vitamins and water.

    Excretion

    • The renal pelvis takes the urine away from the ureter and stores it into the bladder. The bladder can expand as more liquid is stored. When full, the bladder sends nerves impulses to the brain and causes the sensation of being full. Urine is the liquid nitrogenous waste from the kidneys and is taken from the body through the urethra.

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