Science 12 - Biology: 3. Plants and animals regulate the concentration of gases, water and waste products of metabolism in cells and in interstitial fluid

• explain why the concentration of water in cells should be maintained within a narrow range for optimal function
•  perform a first-hand investigation of the structure of a mammalian kidney by dissection, use of a model or visual resource and identify the regions involved in the excretion of waste products
• gather, process and analyse information from secondary sources to compare the process of renal dialysis with the function of the kidney
•  present information to outline the general use of hormone replacement therapy in people who cannot secrete aldosterone
•  analyse information from secondary sources to compare and explain the differences in urine concentration of terrestrial mammals, marine fish and freshwater fish
• use available evidence to explain the relationship between the conservation of water and the production and excretion of concentrated nitrogenous wastes in a range of Australian insects and terrestrial mammals
• process and analyse information from secondary sources and use available evidence to discuss processes used by different plants for salt regulation in saline environments
• perform a first-hand investigation to gather information about structures in plants that assist in the conservation of water
• explain why the removal of wastes is essential for continued metabolic activity
• identify the role of the kidney in the excretory system of fish and mammals
•  explain why the pAustralian plantsrocesses of diffusion and osmosis are inadequate in removing dissolved nitrogenous wastes in some organisms
•  distinguish between active and passive transport and relate these to processes occurring in the mammalian kidney
• explain how the processes of filtration and reabsorption in the mammalian nephron regulate body fluid composition
• outline the role of the hormones, aldosterone and ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) in the regulation of water and salt levels in blood
• define enantiostasis as the maintenance of metabolic and physiological functions in response to variations in the environment and discuss its importance to estuarine organisms in maintaining appropriate salt concentrations
• describe adaptations of a range of terrestrial 

Skip sections until you get to the Excretory System to give an overview of the kidney and to see the parts of the kidney.

Professor Melissa Little is an Australian scientist who has been investigating treatments for chronic kidney diesease at the University of Queensland.