Excretory System

Front

Homeostasis Noun

---

[hoh-mee-oh-stay-sis]

Back

Homeostasis

---

The process by which an organism maintains a stable internal environment, which is essential for survival and proper function.

---

Example: The body maintains a stable temperature through homeostasis, similar to a house's thermostat; it sweats to cool down and shivers to warm up.

Front

Excretion Noun

---

[ek-skree-shun]

Back

Excretion

---

The biological process of removing metabolic waste products, such as urea and carbon dioxide, from an organism's body.

---

Example: This diagram shows the human urinary system, where the kidneys filter waste from the blood to create urine, which is then removed from the body.

Front

Nephron Noun

---

[nef-ron]

Back

Nephron

---

The microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney, responsible for filtering blood and forming urine.

---

Example: This diagram shows a nephron is a tiny filter in the kidney that cleans blood by removing waste to make urine.

Front

Glomerulus Noun

---

[gloh-mer-yoo-lus]

Back

Glomerulus

---

A small, ball-shaped network of capillaries in the nephron where the initial filtration of blood takes place.

---

Example: This diagram shows the glomerulus as a bundle of capillaries inside the Bowman's capsule, where blood from an artery is filtered to start urine formation.

Front

Bowman's capsule Noun

---

[boh-manz kap-sool]

Back

Bowman's capsule

---

A cup-shaped sac at the beginning of the nephron that surrounds the glomerulus and collects filtrate from the blood.

---

Example: This diagram shows the Bowman's capsule, a cup-shaped structure in the kidney, surrounding a ball of capillaries called the glomerulus to collect filtered fluid.

Front

Loop of Henle Noun

---

[loop uv hen-lee]

Back

Loop of Henle

---

The U-shaped portion of a nephron's tubule that is crucial for creating a concentration gradient for urine production.

---

Example: This diagram shows the Loop of Henle, a U-shaped tube in the kidney, where water leaves the descending limb and salt leaves the ascending limb.

Front

Urea Noun

---

[yoo-ree-uh]

Back

Urea

---

The main nitrogenous waste product in mammals, formed in the liver from protein breakdown and excreted in urine.

---

Example: This image shows the chemical structure of a urea molecule, which is made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms.

Front

Ureter Noun

---

[yur-i-ter]

Back

Ureter

---

A tube that carries urine from the renal pelvis of the kidney to the urinary bladder for storage.

---

Example: This diagram shows the ureters are tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder, placing them correctly within the human excretory system.

Front

Urethra Noun

---

[yoo-ree-thruh]

Back

Urethra

---

The tube that conveys urine from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body during urination.

---

Example: This diagram shows the urethra as the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body, placing it within the context of the urinary system.

Front

Micturition Noun

---

[mik-choo-rish-un]

Back

Micturition

---

The medical term for the act of expelling urine from the urinary bladder, also known as urination or voiding.

---

Example: This diagram shows the urinary bladder's anatomy, including the detrusor muscle and sphincters, which contract and relax to control micturition (urination).