The Functions of Other Organs in Excretion

It is the excretory system that is responsible for excretion in the human body. Additionally, in addition to removing waste, our excretory system aids in the maintenance of our body’s osmoregulation, which is necessary for the maintenance of homeostasis. Excretory systems have a dual function: they remove waste products from the body’s metabolism while also draining the body of used up and broken down components in both a liquid and gaseous condition. People and other amniotes (including mammals, birds and reptiles) excrete the majority of these compounds by urine and, to a lesser extent, exhale; mammals also sweat, which helps to eliminate these toxins from the body.

It is only the organs that are employed exclusively for excretion that are regarded to be a part of the excretory system. The term is used to refer to the urinary system in its most restricted definition.

Because the majority of healthily functioning organs generate metabolic and other waste products, the overall health of the organism is dependent on the system’s ability to function properly.

In Excretion  2 groups of  take part 

Acessory Organs:- In addition to the oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, and small intestine, the gastrointestinal system also includes the large intestine. Accessories organs include the teeth, tongue, and glandular organs such as the salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas, among others.

Alimentary Canal Group:- Organs that food and liquids pass through on their journey through the body as they are ingested, digested, absorbed, and expelled as faeces. The mouth, pharynx (throat), oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus are among the organs that make up the digestive system. The alimentary tract is considered to be a component of the digestive system.

Role of Kidney in Excretion

Each kidney, together with its associated ureters, bladder, and urethra together make up the urinary system, which comprises all of the organs responsible for excretion. It is believed that kidneys are bean-shaped structures that are located at the dorsal body wall of the body, between the 11th and 12th thoracic vertebrae and the 1st and 2nd lumbar vertebrae. The kidney’s primary job is to eliminate the nitrogenous waste product urea from the body through the production of urine. A nephron is a kidney cell that is both a structural and a functional unit.

Other Excretory Organs of the body

In addition to the kidney, there are other organs that execute the function of excretion, and these organs are referred to as the auxiliary organs of excretion. The purpose of these organs is to execute some other function of the body, and in addition to those activities, they are also responsible for excretion.

The liver, lungs and skin are examples of excretory organs that are not primary excretory organs.

Role of Lungs in Excretion

It has already been stated that excretion refers to the removal of undesired substances from the body that are undesirable and present in excessive amounts in the environment. The purpose of the lungs is to remove carbon dioxide from the body, which is a gaseous waste product.

Almost all of the cells in our body are involved in metabolic activities on a constant basis. As a result, certain wastes, like carbon dioxide, are continuously generated and collectively transported to the lungs by the bloodstream, where they are expelled during the expiration process. Consequently, the lungs play a significant part in excretion.

Role of Skin in Excretion

Skin glands (soft epidermal derivatives of skin) are also involved in the outflow of waste products. In the skin, there are several different types of glands. The glands listed below are those that are involved in the excretion process.

Sweat Glands are a type of gland that produces sweat.

These are simply coiled tubular glands that are not very complex. They keep the body’s temperature stable by releasing sweat, which has a cooling effect on the surrounding environment. Considering that sweat contains both water and an insignificant amount of urea, it might be argued that sweat glands are also involved in the excretion of urea.

Sebaceous Glands

Sebum is the secretion produced by the glands located within the hair follicle, and it is not a watery fluid as is commonly believed. Several lipid wastes are excreted in the skin’s sebum, which is produced by these glands.

Importance of other Excretory Organs

Salivary Glands

These glands can be found in the buccal cavity of the mouth. There are three salivary glands in the mouth, each located at a different location in the mouth. They all release a secretion known as saliva’ when they get together. This saliva contains water, mucus, and a trace amount of urea, among other things. As a result, salivary glands are excretory to a certain extent.

Tear Glands

They are also referred to as lacrimal glands because they are located in the eyes. Their secretions are known as tears, and they are watery in nature, allowing them to absorb large volumes of urea waste. In this way, tear glands contribute to the elimination of waste.

Nephridia

Many aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, as well as certain vertebrates, utilise the nephridia as excretory organs. It is a tubular or branched structure that is in contact with internal bodily fluids on one side and is open to the surrounding environment on the other. To terminate as dead-end tubuli in the body cavity, protonephridia differentiate into specialised cells such as flame cells (ciliated) or solenocytes (flagellated), which serve as interfaces between the internal fluids and lumen of the nephridia.

Metanephridia collect fluids from the celomatic cavity using a funnel-like structure known as a nephrostome, which is found on the surface of the cell. The coelomic fluid enters the tubulus, where it is reabsorbed along with water and nutrients, and metabolic waste such as ammonia, urea, and uric acid is expelled out of the body. Despite the fact that invertebrate nephridia and vertebrate kidneys developed independently, there are striking similarities in the fundamental organisation of solute transepithelial transport between the two organisms. Furthermore, there is a striking resemblance between the function mechanisms of extrarenal osmoregulatory structures such as shark rectal glands, avian salt glands, and gills, as well as the function mechanisms of the kidney.

Conclusion

Excretion is the process of eliminating wastes and surplus water from the body. It is one of the  important  ways the body maintains homeostasis. The excretory system consists  of various excretory organs. The kidneys, big intestine, liver, skin, and lungs are among the organs affected.