Introduction
The excretory system is a vital biological system that removes excess and waste products from the body to maintain homeostasis. Most of these products are in fact used and broken down components of metabolism that leave the body in the form of urine, sweat, or feces. While many organs are linked indirectly to the removal of metabolic waste, the term excretory system refers to those organs that are used strictly for the elimination and excretion of these broken-down components; this limits the focus of a discussion of the excretory system to mainly the urinary, or renal, system, which consists of the kidneys, ureters, a bladder, and a urethra. While there is a specific set of organs generally referred to as the excretory system, there are several auxiliary organs that play roles in other major body systems that help in the excretory system’s function.
The Central Role of the Kidneys in the Urinary System
The excretory system is largely associated with the urinary, or renal,...
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Peters, S. (2017). Excretory System. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1287-1
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