5.3.13

Urine

Test yourself

Water in the Blood

The volume of urine produced depends on the internal conditions. The volume of water in the blood is monitored by the hypothalamus in the brain. This is how the body responds to having too much or too little water in the blood:

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Too little water

  • The hypothalamus triggers the pituitary gland to release anti-diuretic hormone (ADH).
  • This increases the permeability (ability of things to pass through) of the kidney tubules. This means that more water is reabsorbed back into the bloodstream.
  • This results in a small volume of concentrated urine.
Illustrative background for Too much waterIllustrative background for Too much water ?? "content

Too much water

  • The hypothalamus triggers the pituitary gland to stop the release of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH).
  • This reduces the permeability of the kidney tubules. This means that less water is reabsorbed back into the bloodstream.
  • This results in a large volume of dilute urine.

Jump to other topics

1Cell Biology

1.1What's in Cells?

1.2Cell Division

1.3Transport in Cells

2Organisation

2.1Principles of Organisation

2.2Enzymes

2.3Circulatory System

2.4Non-Communicable Diseases

2.5Plant Tissues, Organs & Systems

3Infection & Response

4Bioenergetics

5Homeostasis & Response

5.1Homeostasis

5.2The Human Nervous System

5.3Hormonal Coordination in Humans

5.4Plant Hormones

6Inheritance, Variation & Evolution

7Ecology

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