Favorite topic in science

Hello, fellow steemians,

Thank you @zerotoinfinity, for this particular contest. It has given me the opportunity to express my thought and knowledge concerning my favorite science topics. Particularly the excretory system. I have always felt that this particular system in the human body and in plants is not given the recognition that it deserves.
In science as a whole, I have more interest in the field of Biology (both plant and animal biology). In Biology, my favorite topics are the excretory system and Reproduction and growth in animals. But I will talk more about the excretory system today.

The excretory system is concerned with how metabolic waste is removed from the body of an organism. Humans and plants feed and after the food, they take in are broken down and the energy and nutrients are utilized respectively, there is, therefore, a need for the waste material to be removed from the plant or animals’ system. Most of these waste products are toxic which is why they must be removed from the system. The main excretory organs of animals; humans to be precise and their respective waste products are as follows; skin, kidneys, lungs, liver, and large intestine.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and the largest excretory organ in the human body. The main excretory product is sweat. Sweat is made of salt and water. It is excreted through sweat glands found in the skin. Sweat excretion is also necessary to regulate body temperature. This phenomenon is known as homeostasis.

source

The numerous functions of the liver such as detoxification of poisonous substances within the body, it also excretes bile. Bile is a type of salt that is used to emulsify fats within the body. The liver excretes bile containing bilirubin. Bilirubin is formed from the breakdown of red blood cells. Thus, they are formed when red blood cells, die. Just so you know red blood cells have a life span of 120 days.

source

The kidneys excrete urea and excess water from the body through urine formation. The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron. There are over a million of these nephrons within the kidney which helps infiltration and further removal of urea. In the process of excretion of urea, some essential nutrients and some water is reabsorbed back into the system for usage by the body. The Kidneys serves as a filtration machine.

source

Breathing is an essential component of living. Without the required or right amount of oxygen within the body, the body system will collapse as a result of organ failure. As humans breathe in oxygen for it to be used by all parts of the body, there is a need for waste product carbon dioxide to be removed from the body and this is done by the lungs. Though the lungs form part of the respiratory system, it also forms part of the excretory since it excretes the main waste gas; carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is diffused from the bloodstream into the alveoli of the lungs. These are tiny air sacs found within the lungs. The lungs removing carbon dioxide is also a homeostatic phenomenon to regulate the acid-base level of the body.

source

The final excretory organ is the large intestine. It forms part of the digestive system as well as the excretory system. It helps in the excretion of solid waste material after the digestion of food. It helps in the absorption of water during digestion, then excretes the remaining solid waste through the anorectal area in the form of fecal matter in a process known as egestion.

source

Unlike animals, plants do not have a specific organ for excretion. They release excess water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide through the stomata of the leaves. Some plants produce gums, latex, resins, and oils as waste products. For instance, jasmine and most citrus plants like orange produce oil as a waste product. Rubber trees produce latex as a waste product and some desert plants like acacia produce gum as a waste product.

Gum from acacia

Latex from Rubber Tree
source