Vertebrate kidney, Biology

Assignment Help:

Vertebrate Kidney

Typically, all vertebrates have a pair of kidneys, which function on the filtration - reabsorption - secretion principle. Only in a few teleost fishes, the kidney is aglomerular (without a glomerulus) and functions on the absorption - reabsorption - secretion principle as in the malpighian tubules of insects. The functional unit of the vertebrate kidney is the nephron or the uriniferous tubule. A small fish may have only a few dozen nephrons in its kidneys; a large mammal may have several million.  A mammalis nephron begins with the renal corpuscle or the Malpighian body which consists of a double-walled cup, the Bowman's capsule, enclosing a knot of blood capillaries called glomeplus.

359_Vertebrate Kidney.png

Figure:  Schematic diagram of mammalian kidney and nephoron

Blood is brought to the kidney by the renal artery which branches and sub-branches into interloper arteries and finally into the afferent arteriole which gives rise to the capillary network of the glomerulus. An efferent arteriole formed by the confluence of the capillaries takes blood away from the Bowman's capsule. The Bowman's capsule latter continues into a long convoluted tubule which is distinguished into the proximal and distal convoluted tubules respectively. The distal convoluted tubules from different nephorons join to form the collecting tubule which carry the urine into the renal pelvis from where the ureter starts. The proximal and distal tubules are present in all vertebrates, but in birds and mammals a new U-shaped hair-pin-like segment called Henle's loop is present between proximal and the distal tubules. In the following section we shall study structural variations in the vertebrate kidney.


Related Discussions:- Vertebrate kidney

How are the beings of the phylum annelida classified, Q. Concerning the occ...

Q. Concerning the occurrence of separated sexes how are the beings of the phylum Annelida classified? These beings may be dioecious (the majority of polychaetes) or hermaphrodi

How is the structure of a mitochondrion well adapted, How is the structure ...

How is the structure of a mitochondrion well adapted for the activities it carries out? The mitochondrial membranes segregate the enzymes and reactants of the Krebs cycle, faci

Scope of biology, SCOPE OF BIOLOGY- Present century is witnessing ex...

SCOPE OF BIOLOGY- Present century is witnessing explosion of information in modem biology directly related to life and health. Issues like global warming, pollution, populat

What happens to the dna molecule when the ends, Now try to pull the strands...

Now try to pull the strands apart at the "origin of replication." What happens to the DNA molecule when the ends are restricted

What are the main functions of the blood, What are the main functions of th...

What are the main functions of the blood? The blood is a means of substance transportation all by the body. The blood distributes nutrients, oxygen, antibodies, hormones, and c

Sporogenous tissue, Sporogenous Tissue The primary sporogenous cells (...

Sporogenous Tissue The primary sporogenous cells (PSCs) result after the periclinal division of the archesporial cells. The PSCs may undergo mitotic divisions and increase in

Process of memory, Process of Memory: There are three stages of memory E...

Process of Memory: There are three stages of memory Encoding process: It is the process of receiving sensory input and transforming it into a form or code, which can be stored.

Role of private sector in health care - contracting, Role of Private Sector...

Role of Private Sector in Health Care - Contracting The government can transfer some of its work to the private sector by contracting. If the cost of resultant services (inclu

Vitamins and minerals requirement in diabetes, Q. Vitamins and minerals req...

Q. Vitamins and minerals requirement in diabetes? The recommendation of vitamins and minerals is the same as for general population. However, lower levels of magnesium are ass

Difference between anaerobic and aerobic beings, Q. What is the difference ...

Q. What is the difference between anaerobic and aerobic beings? Anaerobic organisms are those that live or can live under oxygen-lacking environments and Aerobic organisms are

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd