What is the purpose of urate cells in cockroaches?

What is the purpose of urate cells in cockroaches?

• A. Nitrogen extraction from waste
• B. Water storage
• C. Detoxification
• D. Hormone production

Answer: (A)

Urate cells are specialized for handling nitrogenous waste in cockroaches. They take nitrogen from amino acid breakdown and convert it into uric acid, which is stored in these cells and later excreted as solid urates. This arrangement lets the insect rid itself of nitrogen while conserving water, which is crucial for a terrestrial animal. So the primary role is managing nitrogen excretion from metabolism, packaged as uric acid. Water storage, detoxification, or hormone production aren’t the main functions of these cells.

Urate cells are specialized for handling nitrogenous waste in cockroaches. They take nitrogen from amino acid breakdown and convert it into uric acid, which is stored in these cells and later excreted as solid urates. This arrangement lets the insect rid itself of nitrogen while conserving water, which is crucial for a terrestrial animal. So the primary role is managing nitrogen excretion from metabolism, packaged as uric acid. Water storage, detoxification, or hormone production aren’t the main functions of these cells.