Excretion and Osmoregulation — Biology STD 11 Science — Question
Maharashtra BoardEnglish MediumSTD 11 ScienceBiologyExcretion and Osmoregulation5 Marks
Question
Do organs other than kidney participate in excretion? Explain.
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Answer
Yes, various organs other than the kidney participate in excretion. They are as follows:
$i.$ Skin:
Skin acts as an accessory excretory organ. The skin of many organisms is thin and permeable. It helps in diffusion of waste products like ammonia.
Human skin however is thick and impermeable. It shows presence of two types of glands namely, sweat glands and sebaceous glands.
$a.$ Sweat glands are distributed all over the skin. They are abundant in the palm and facial regions. These simple, unbranched, coiled, tubular glands open on the surface of the skin through an opening called sweat pore. Sweat is primarily produced for thermoregulation but it also excretes substances like water, $NaCl,$ lactic acid and urea.
$b.$ Sebaceous glands are present at the neck of hair follicles. They secrete oily substance called sebum. It forms a lubricating layer on skin making it softer. It protects skin from infection and injury.
$ii.$ Lungs:
Lungs are the accessory excretory organs. They help in excretion of volatile substances like $CO_2$ and water vapour produced during cellular respiration. Along with $CO_2,$ lungs also remove excess of $H_2O$ in the form of vapours during expiration. They also excrete volatile substances present in spices and other food stuff.
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