Class-10 Chapter-5: Life Processes

CHAPTER- 5
LiFE PROCESSES

EXCRETION
 The biological process involved in the removal of harmful metabolic wastes from the body is called
excretion.
 Wastes materials generated during metabolic activities are:
 Gaseous wastes- generated during-
o Photosynthesis- O2
o Respiration- carbon dioxide, water.
 Nitrogenous wastes- ammonia, urea and uric acid are the major forms excreted by the
animals.
 These substances have to be removed totally or partially. Different organisms use various
strategies.
 Unicellular organisms- remove these wastes by simple diffusion from the body surface into
the surrounding water. E.g.- Amoeba, Paramoecium.
 Complex multi-cellular organisms- use specialised organs to perform this function. Some of
these structures are given in table:
Excretory organs Function Examples
Protonephridia or Concerned with ionic and fluid volume Flatworms like Planaria, and
flame cells regulation (osmoregulation). some annelids.
Nephridia Removes nitrogenous wastes and Earthworms and other annelids
maintain a fluid and ionic balance.
Malpighian Removal of nitrogenous wastes and Insects, including cockroaches
tubules osmoregulation.
Antennal glands/ Prawns
green glands

 A comparative account of these three excretory products are given below in the table:

Characteristics
1 Excretory substance Ammonia Urea Uric acid
2 Process Ammonotelism Ureotelism Uricotelism
3 Organisms Ammonotelic organisms Ureotelic organisms Uricotelic organisms
4 Organs involved Gill surface / body surface Kidneys Kidneys, nephridia,
Protonephridia,
Green gland
5 Water needs Large amount of water is Medium amount of water Least amount of water is
needed to excrete ammonia. is needed to excrete urea needed to excrete uric acid.
6 Energy needs Least Medium Maximum
7 Toxicity Most toxic Medium Least toxic
8 Examples Bony fishes, aquatic Mammals, terrestrial Reptiles, birds, land snails
amphibians (tadpoles), amphibians, and insects
aquatic insects marine fishes

HUMAN EXCRETORY SYSTEM

 The excretory system of humans consists of-
 pair of kidneys
 pair of ureters
 a urinary bladder
 a urethra
 Kidneys are bean shaped structures located (between the levels of last thoracic and third lumbar
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vertebra) close to the dorsal inner wall of the abdominal cavity, one on either side of the backbone.
 The structural and functional units of each kidney are called nephrons.
 Each kidney has nearly one million (10 00 000 = 10 lakh) nephrons.
 There are two zones inside the kidney:
GAURAV B. PRASAD (M.Sc., DMLT, B.Ed.) Mobile: 9924353771
Class-10 Chapter-5: Life Processes
 outer cortex
 inner medulla

 Each nephron has two parts –

1. The glomerulus-
 Glomerulus is a tuft of capillaries formed by a fine branch of renal artery called the
afferent arteriole. Blood from the glomerulus is carried away by an efferent arteriole.
2. The renal tubule-
 The renal tubule begins with a double walled cup-like structure called Bowman’s
capsule, which encloses the glomerulus.
 Glomerulus along with Bowman’s capsule, is called the malpighian body or renal
corpuscle that continues into following parts:
→ Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT)
→ Henle’s loop- has a descending and an ascending limb.
→ Distal convoluted tubule (DCT)
→ Collecting duct: The DCTs of many nephrons open into a straight tube called
collecting duct, many of which converge and open into the renal pelvis.
→ The Malpighian corpuscle, PCT and DCT of the nephron are situated in the cortical
region of the kidney whereas the loop of Henle dips into the medulla.

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GAURAV B. PRASAD (M.Sc., DMLT, B.Ed.) Mobile: 9924353771

Class-10 Chapter-5: Life Processes
 The efferent arteriole emerging from the glomerulus forms a fine network of capillary
around the renal tubule called as peritubular capillaries. A minute vessel of this
network runs parallel to the Henle’s loop forming a ‘U’ shaped vasa recta.

URINE FORMATION
 Urine formation involves three main processes namely, glomerular filtration, reabsorption and
tubular secretion, that takes place in different parts of the nephron.
 Glomerular filtration-
 The filtration of blood is carried out by the glomerulus. which is called as glomerular
filtration.
 Kidneys filter 1100-1200 ml of blood per minute which constitute about 1/5th of the
blood pumped out by each ventricle of the heart in a minute.
 The amount of the filtrate formed by the kidneys per minute is called glomerular
filtration rate (GFR). GFR is approximately 125 ml/minute, i.e., 180 litres per day for a
healthy individual.
 Reabsorption:
 Substances such as glucose, amino acids, salts and major amount of water, are selectively
re-absorbed by the tubules as the filtrate flows along the tube from the initial filtrate.
 The amount of water re-absorbed depends on how much excess water is there in the
body, and on the amount of dissolved waste there is to be excreted.
 Volume of the filtrate formed per day = 180 litres per day.
 Urine released = between 1- 1.5 litres.
 Tubular secretion:
 The tubular cells secrete substances like H+, K+ and ammonia (NH3) into the filtrate
during urine formation.
 It is an important step in urine formation as it helps in the maintenance of ionic and
acid-base balance of body fluids.

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Absorbed Secreted (added into filtrate)

PCT  Nearly all of the essential  H+
nutrients (Glucose, amino  NH3

GAURAV B. PRASAD (M.Sc., DMLT, B.Ed.) Mobile: 9924353771

Class-10 Chapter-5: Life Processes
acids, vitamins)  K +

 70-80 per cent of electrolytes

 Water
 HCO3–
Loop of Descending limb  Water
Henle Descending limb Electrolytes Urea
PCT  NaCl  H+
 Water  NH3
 HCO3–  K+
Collecting duct  Water o Selective secretion of
 Urea  H+
 K+
 The urine formed in each kidney is transported through the ureter and stored to the urinary bladder.
 A signal is initiated by the stretching of the urinary bladder as it gets filled with urine.
 The stretch receptors on the walls of the bladder send signals to the CNS.
 The CNS passes on motor signals for contraction of smooth muscles of the bladder and
simultaneous relaxation of the urethral sphincter that causes the release of urine.
 The process of release of urine is called micturition. We can usually control the urge to urinate.

Artificial kidney (Hemodialysis)

 Kidneys are vital organs for survival.
 Several factors like infections, injury or restricted blood flow to kidneys reduce the activity of
kidneys. This leads to accumulation of poisonous wastes in the body, which can even lead to death.
 An artificial kidney can be used in case of kidney failure.
 An artificial kidney is a device that is used to remove nitrogenous waste products from the blood
through dialysis.
 Artificial kidneys contain a number of tubes with a semi-permeable membrane, suspended in a
chamber that is filled with dialysing fluid.
 The dialysing fluid has the same osmotic pressure as the blood, except that it is devoid of
nitrogenous wastes (i.e., urea).

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 The patient’s blood is removed from a suitable artery and passed through these tubes during which,
the waste products from the blood pass into dialysing fluid by diffusion.
 The purified blood is pumped back into the patient’s body through a suitable vein.
GAURAV B. PRASAD (M.Sc., DMLT, B.Ed.) Mobile: 9924353771
Class-10 Chapter-5: Life Processes
 This is similar to the function of the kidney, but it is different since there is no involvement of re-
absorption.
 In a healthy adult, the initial filtrate in the kidneys is about 180 L daily. But, the volume actually
excreted is only a 1 to 1.5 litre/ day. The remaining filtrate is re-absorbed back in the kidney
tubules.

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GAURAV B. PRASAD (M.Sc., DMLT, B.Ed.) Mobile: 9924353771