2.71 Ultrafiltration

1. Nephron - carries out the filtration of the blood. Giving us 'clean' blood and waste. (urine)

2. Urine is largely composed of water, salts and Urea which contains the nitrogen waste.

3. The urine goes down the collecting duct and then through the pelvic and then out of the ureter.

4. Bowman's Capsule - the site of ultrafiltration

Bowman's capsule and the filtration of blood

1. Blood goes into the bowman's capsule from an artery - (high BP)

2. The bowman's capsule branches into a smaller ball of blood vessels. (the glomerular)

3. When the blood flows down the vessels, because the diameter is smaller, they gain pressure, making the blood come out with a higher blood pressure.

4. The consequence of this is that the high blood pressure forces the liquid within blood - plasma (H2O, Salts, Amino Acids, glucose and urea) to release all these substances into the inside of the bowman's capsule.

5. The substances in the plasma and the plasma itself get taken into the bowman's capsule, the name changes to glomerular filtrate