5.1.1 - Communication and homeostasis Flashcards
What type of equilibrium does the body maintain ?
- Dynamic equilibrium
- There are fluctuations over a narrow range of conditions
What is the maintenance of dynamic equilibrium called ?
Homeostasis
What two things are essential for the body to maintain a dynamic equilibrium ?
Receptors and effectors
What is the role of sensory receptors ?
They detect changes in the internal and external environment of an organism
What things are monitored in homeostasis ?
- pH of the blood
- Core body temperature
- Concentration of ions in the body
Where is information from the sensory receptors sent ?
It is transmitted to the brain
What happens when information reaches the brain ?
Impulses are sent along the motor neurones to the effectors to bring about changes to restore the equilibrium in the body
What are effectors ?
Effectors are the muscles or glands that react to the motor stimulus to bring about a change in response to a stimulus
What are the two types of feedback systems ?
- Positive feedback systems
- Negative feedback systems
What do feedback systems allow to happen ?
They allow for a maintenance of a relatively steady state around a narrow range of conditions
What are most of the feedback systems in the body ?
Negative feedback systems
Describe the overall role of a negative feedback system
- A small change in one direction is detected by sensory receptors
- As a result, effectors work to revers the change and restore conditions back to their base levels
What do negative feedback systems work to do ?
They work to reverse the initial stimulus
Give an example of a negative feedback in action
The control of blood sugar levels by insulin and glucagon
Describe the overall role of a positive feedback system
A change in the internal environment of the body is detected by sensory receptors, and effectors are stimulated to reinforce that change and increase the response
What are some examples of positive feedback systems ?
- Blood clotting cascade
- Production of oxytocin during childbirth
What is thermoregulation ?
The maintenance of a relatively constant core body temperature to maintain optimum enzyme activity
What are some of the processes involved in heating up and cooling down ?
- Exothermic chemical reactions
- Latent heat of evaporation
- Radiation
- Convection
- Conduction
What is radiation ?
The transmission of EM waves to and from the air, water or ground
What is convection ?
- The heating and cooling by currents of air or water
- Warm air rises
- Cool air sinks
What is conduction ?
Heating as a result of the collision of molecules
What can animals be classified as ?
- Ectotherms
- Endotherms
What does ectotherm mean ?
- Outside heat
- They use their surroundings to warm their bodies
What is the core body temp of ectotherms dependent on ?
The environment
What species fall under the ectotherm term ?
- All invertebrate animals
- Fish
- Amphibians
- Reptiles
Why do ectotherms that live in water not need to thermoregulate ?
The high heat capacity of water means that the temperature of the environment does not change much
Why do ectotherms that live in water have to thermoregulate ?
- The temperature of the air is constantly changing
- Can be very different between both seasons and days
Why do ectotherms that live in water have to thermoregulate ?
- The temperature of the air is constantly changing
- Can be very different between both seasons and days