Excretory System (55 Marks)

Name: _________________________ Date: __________________

1. Study the diagram below. Name the structures and indicate their functions by
completing the following table. (16)
Structure

Function

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Use the following diagram to help answer question 2.

2. The volume of blood entering the kidney through the renal artery in one day is more than the
volume leaving through the renal vein. What does this tell you about where urine comes from?
(1)

Use the following diagram to answer questions 3-6.

3. Identify where useful molecules and wastes are filtered out of the blood and into the nephron.
List at least six components of blood that are filtered out. (4)

4. Where are useful molecules reabsorbed from the nephron back into the blood? (1)

5. Which structure transports the waste molecules (urine) left behind after reabsorption? (1)

6. Which three parts of the nephron are in the cortex of the kidney? Which part penetrates deep
into the medulla? (2)

7. A common misconception is that kidneys filter wastes out of the blood. Use the words
filtration and reabsorption to explain why this statement is false. (2)

Use the following diagram to answer questions 8-11.

8. In what ways is nephric filtration similar to the formation of interstitial fluid (lymph) in other
tissues in the body? (1)

9. One of the effects of a drug overdose is a serious decrease in blood pressure. How might this
affect kidney function? (1)

10. Why are useful molecules like glucose and other nutrients found in the filtrate along with urea
and other wastes? (1)

11. Sometimes bacterial infection causes nephritisan inflammation of membranes in the

glomerulus and Bowmans capsule causing larger than normal pores to form between them.
What symptom would indicate this problem? (1)

12. Name a minimum of four other useful substances, in addition to Na+, Cl, and water, that are
reabsorbed in the proximal tubule? (2)

Use the following diagram to answer questions 13-16.

13. Explain the process of reabsorption from the descending loop. (2)

14. Where is the highest concentration of Na+ found? (1)

15. Explain the process of reabsorption from the ascending loop. (2)

16. Explain how reabsorption of ions and water occurs from the distal tubule (2)

Use the following diagram to answer questions 17-20.

Comparison of Concentrations of Substances in Plasma, Filtrate, Urine (mg/100 mL)
Substance

Plasma

Filtrate

Urine

Concentration
Change

All inorganic ions

0.9

0.9

<0.9-3.6

<1-4x

K+

0.02

0.02

0.15

7.5x

Amino acids

0.05

0.05

none

N/A

Proteins

8.0

none

none

N/A

Glucose

0.01

0.01

none

N/A

Urea

0.03

0.03

1.8

60x

NOTE: The pH of blood plasma and filtrate is 7.4. The pH of urine is 4.8-7.5.
17. Study the concentrations of the ions, the amino acids, glucose and urea. Why are their
concentrations in the filtrate identical to those in the plasma? (1)

18. Neither glucose nor proteins are present in urine, but for different reasons. Explain. (2)

19. Give two reasons to explain why K+ is more concentrated in the urine than in the filtrate. (2)

20. Which ion accounts for the low pH of the urine? How and where is this ion transported into
the urine? Why is the elimination of this ion important to survival? (3)

When kidney failure occurs, blood plasma is said to become uremic, because urea molecules
accumulate to dangerous levels. Imbalances in other substances also occur.
Dialysis is a medical procedure in which the composition of the plasma can be corrected through
simple diffusion. Dialysing fluid (dialysate) is separated from the patients blood (uremic plasma)
by thin semipermeable membranes. Molecules and ions diffuse into or out of the patients
plasma, depending upon the composition of the dialysate. Thus, careful formulation of dialysate
is the key to correcting the composition of uremic plasma.
In hemodialysis, diffusion occurs across artificial membranes. In peritoneal dialysis, it occurs
across the intestinal lining (peritoneum). These procedures are illustrated on page 322 of your
textbook.
Use the table below, which shows the composition of the dialysate compared to normal plasma
and uremic plasma, to answer the questions 21-24.
Composition of Plasma and Dialysing Fluid
Component

Normal Plasma

Uremic Plasma

Dialysate

Potassium (K+)

Bicarbonate (HCO3-)

27

14

27

Glucose

100

100

125

Urea

26

200

21. Explain why the dialysate is produced with a concentration of 5 units of potassium ions. (1)

22. What is the function of bicarbonate ions in the blood? Suggest an explanation for the
decreased concentration of bicarbonate ions in uremic plasma. (2)

23. What evidence is given in the table that kidney failure has little effect upon glucose
metabolism? Given the glucose concentration of normal plasma, why might dialysate be
made to contain 125 units of glucose? (2)

24. What is the concentration of urea in normal plasma? Suggest an explanation for the lack of
urea in the dialysate. (2)