About Lesson
Describe the role of the skin in excretion and homeostasis
- Sweat glands excrete sweat that contains urea, excess water and salts; hence maintaining salt and water balance in the blood.
- Evaporation of sweat cools the body due to the loss of latent heat of vaporization; when the body temperature rises above normal, blood vessels in the skin vasodilate allowing more blood to flow near the skin surface; thus heat is lost to the environment by radiation/convection/conduction.
- The erector pili muscle relaxes hence hair lies on the skin in a hot environment reducing insulation; hence heat is lost from the body by radiation/convection/conduction to the environment.
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