Nephron

Key Stage 4 Higher

A diagram of a kidney showing the nephrons.

Meaning

The nephrons are small structures in the kidneys which control which substances are removed from the blood stream.

About Nephrons

There are millions of nephrons in each kidney.

The nephrons respond to a hormone called anti-diuretic hormone (ADH).

When ADH is detected the by the kidneys the tubules in the nephrons allows water from the tubules back into the blood through the capillaries in the nephron. This causes the organism to produce very little, but highly concentrated urine.

When there is little ADH the tubules in the kidneys stop the water being reabsorbed into the blood and allow it to pass out through the ureters into the bladder. This causes the organism to produce a large volume of dilute urine.