CLASS-VII
Subject: Biology
Chapter-4.13 page-110,111
Excretion
Excretion: Excretion is the removal of waste, poisonous substances from the body produced by
metabolism.
Different parts of urinary/excretory system with function:
a) Renal artery- The renal artery carries ‘dirty’ blood to the kidneys.
b) Kidney- The kidneys remove urea and other wastes from blood and excrete it in liquid
called urine.
c) Renal vein- The renal vein carries ‘clean’ blood away from the kidneys.
d) Ureter- Ureters are tubes which carry urine to the bladder
e) Bladder- The bladder is a bag which stores urine.
f) Sphincter- The sphincter is a ring of muscle which keeps the bladder closed.
g) Urethra- The urethra is a tube which carries urine out of the body.
Draw and label a human excretory/urinary system
Nephron: Nephrons are microscopic tubules in the kidneys concerned with the production of
urine. Each of our kidneys is made up of about a millions of filtering units called nephrons.
Parts of a kidney/nephron:
Q. Write the function of the following parts of kidney/nephron.
a) Bowman’s capsule- It is a cup-shaped bag containing a bunch of capillaries called
glomerulus.
b) Glomerulus: A bunch of capillaries inside a nephron which filters ‘Dirty’ blood.
c) Tubules- (tube shaped part of nephron) – Filtered liquid enters the tube-shaped part of a
nephron (tubule). Here it is turned into urine.
d) Collecting duct- The urine from many nephrons drains into a collecting duct through which
urine goes to the ureter.
Q. Label the L.S (Longitudinal Section) of a kidney/nephron
Q. Describe how a nephron works.
Ans: The nephron works in the following ways:
Step-1 ; Blood is filtered by the glomerulus. Nearly all the blood except red blood cells, filter
through into the nephron.
Step-2; All the glucose, as much water and other useful substances (e.g. mineral salts, vitamins,
amino acids) of the body are taken back into the blood. This process is called selective
reabsorption.
Step-3; The liquid left in the nephron is urine. It contains urea and water plus other unwanted
substances. It goes through the collecting ducts and ureters to the bladder.
*** The diagram given below is not for drawing or labeling, only for leaning the steps.
Q. What is selective reabsorption?
Ans. All the glucose, as much water and other useful substances (e.g. mineral salts, vitamins,
amino acids) are taken back into the blood as it passes along a nephron in a kidney. This process
is called selective reabsorption because only certain substances are selected in this way.
Q. How kidneys clean blood?
Ans. kidneys clean the blood by filtering it 300 times per day. The filtering is done by a million
tiny tubes packed into each kidney called nephrons.
Information:
Kidneys are the main excretory organs.
Nephrons are the structural and functional unit of kidney.
Surgeons replace faulty kidneys with healthy ones through surgery called kidney
transplant.
Solutions to book exercise; pg.111
Q. 1. Why would one die if excretion stopped?
Ans: If excretion stopped, the body would not get rid of the poisonous substances and therefore
one would die.
Q. 2. What do lungs and kidneys excrete?
Ans: Lungs excrete carbon dioxide and kidneys excrete urea.
Q. 3. What do the bladder and sphincter do?
Ans: The bladder stores urine and sphincter keeps the bladder closed.
Q. 4. Where is ‘dirty’ blood filtered?
Ans: ‘Dirty’ blood enters a glomerulus and is filtered.
Q. 5. What happens to stop useful substances being lost from the body as urine is
produced?
Ans: Selective reabsorption stops useful substances being lost from the body as urine is
produced.
pg 242, no-9 (a to e)
9. a. A- Vena cava, B- Aorta , C- Renal artery, D- Renal vein, E- Kidney, F- Ureter
b. Name two substances present in blood but not in urine.
Ans- Protein and glucose are present in blood but not in urine.
c. Describe what happens to glucose as it passes through the kidneys, using the terms:
nephron, glomerulus and selective reabsorption
Ans. Step 1 & 2 (See Q. How a nephron works, previous page)
d. What is the main function of the kidneys?
Ans. See 1st page (Parts of urinary system/excretory system)
e. What is urea?
Ans- Urea is a substance produced in the liver from the breakdown of excess amino acids.