Written by students who passed Immediately available after payment Read online or as PDF Wrong document? Swap it for free 4.6 TrustPilot
logo-home
Document preview thumbnail
Preview 1 out of 3 pages
Summary

Biology IGCSE - Excretion topic summary notes

Document preview thumbnail
Preview 1 out of 3 pages

Based on Cambridge IGCSE Biology. Notes on excretion, part of a series of notes. Student who made them achieved an A*.

Content preview

The Excretory System :
topic 13




Definition : Excretion is the removal of waste products of metabolism toxic ,
materials & substances in excess of requirements from the body.

The waste substances are removed from the
body by excretory organs
:
lungs liver ,
&
kidneys


Humans have I main
excretory products :




Carbon dioxide :
-
Made in
body tissues during respiration
Urea : Made in the liver from excess amino acids


-




Transported to lungs in the blood plasma
-

Carried to kidneys in the plasma where it is filtered

-




Diffuses out of blood into air
-


Leaves body dissolved in the form of urine



-


Must be removed as when it dissolves in water it forms an acidic solution



that lowers pH of cells , reducing activity of enzymes




·


Excretion is vital as toxic substances would build up
& reach a toxic level , destroying tissues.


·




Substances that a re excreted a re produced by body cells.



Substances that a re egested have been eaten & have passed through the
alimentary canal without
being digested & absorbed into the bloodstream




Assimilation : Food molecules that have been absorbed n ow become part of the cells or a re used
by the cells


-Liver : stores glucose by removing it from the blood &
storing it as
glycogen Shelps to regulate glucose
.
concentration in blood)

uses amino acids to make proteins ,
such as plasma proteins :
(fibrinogen : involved with blood clotting
.


breaks down excess amino acids


Converts fatty acids & glycero into fat ,
which is stored around the
body ,
e .


g under
.
skin)

produces cholesterol from fats




-Your body cannot store amino acids that it cannot use
,
so each molecule is broken down into two new molecules by the process of

deamination .

-




One molecule is converted to Carbohydrate or fat & used as a source of energy. The other molecule is ammonia (NHz) ,
which combines


with CO2 to form Urea.


The amino group
:
part of the amino acid molecule that contains
nitrogen

Bile : made in liver neutralises HCl that
,
comes from Stomach & emulsifies fats (breaks down large drops of fat into smaller ones)

Document information

School year
2
Uploaded on
August 28, 2026
Number of pages
3
Written in
2024/2025
Type
Summary
$4.16

Wrong document? Swap it for free Within 14 days of purchase and before downloading, you can choose a different document. You can simply spend the amount again.
Written by students who passed
Immediately available after payment
Read online or as PDF

Sold
0
Followers
0
Items
14
Last sold
-



Why students choose Stuvia

Created by fellow students, verified by reviews

Quality you can trust: written by students who passed their tests and reviewed by others who've used these notes.

Didn't get what you expected? Choose another document

No worries! You can instantly pick a different document that better fits what you're looking for.

Pay as you like, start learning right away

No subscription, no commitments. Pay the way you're used to via credit card and download your PDF document instantly.

Student with book image

“Bought, downloaded, and aced it. It really can be that simple.”

Alisha Student

Working on your references?

Create accurate citations in APA, MLA and Harvard with our free citation generator.

Working on your references?

Frequently asked questions