CB7- Animal Coordination, Control And Homeostasis Flashcards
What is a hormone?
A hormone is a chemical messenger which is carried by the blood and sent to different parts of the body in order to control things that need constant adjustment.
What are some similarities between the hormonal system and nervous systemm?
- both function as systems that are designed to send messages to trigger a response
What are some differences between the hormonal system and nervous system?
- the hormonal system works much slower
- the hormonal system sends message through chemical signalling in blood cells, rather than electrical impulses
- the signal transmissions form the nervous system are very fast but short lived whereas the hormonal system is slow but acts for a long time
- neurones act in one specific area whereas hormones are more general
What are endocrine glands?
- the various glands that produce and excrete hormones all over the body
Hormones affect particular cells in particular organs. These are called target organs. What are they?
- target organs are organs that are affected by a specific hormone
- the said hormone will affect the body by stimulation or just changing what the target organ is doing
What is the pituitary gland?
- the ‘master gland’ that is near the brain
- it is the master gland because it produces many hormones that act on other glands, also directing them to release the necessary hormones
- some of these hormones it produces includes TSH, ACTH, FSH, AND LH
What is the thyroid gland?
- the gland that produces thyroxine
- it is apart of a negative feedback system
What is thyroxine?
- a hormone that is involved in regulating things such as the rate of metabolism, heart rate, temperature and it also influences growth and development
Explain thyroxine negative feedback when blood thyroxine levels become too low.
- when blood thyroxine levels become too low, the hypothalamus is stimulated to release TRH
- TRH then stimulates the pituitary gland to release TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
- TSH stimulates the thyroid into releasing thyroxine so that the blood thyroxine levels go back to normal
What is negative feedback?
- negative feedback is when levels of hormones are controlled when they become anything but their regular state
- if the level of hormones become too high or low, a response will be triggered in order to bring it back to its normal conditions
Explain thyroxine negative feedback when blood thyroxine levels get too high.
- when blood thyroxine levels are too high the release of TRH will be inhibited
- this way the pituitary gland will be unable to produce TSH
- High levels of blood thyroxine directly inhibit the secretion of TSH from the pituitary gland and TRH from the hypothalamus
What are the adrenal glands?
- adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and they release Adrenalin
- this is NOT an example of negative feedback
Explain the release of Adrenalin from the adrenal glands.
- in normal conditions, little adrenalin in released into the blood but when excited or frightened there is a significant increase in impulses from the neurones
- these impulses are connected to the spinal chords which are able to reach the adrenal glands, causing a large release of Adrenalin creating a fight or flight response.
How is the hormone Adrenalin able to create a fight or flight sense?
- Adrenalin does this by targeting certain organs that are able to activate processes that increase the supply of oxygen and glucose to cells so that they can respirate and prepare for fight or flight.
How does Adrenalin target the liver?
- Adrenalin binds to receptors in the liver causing a breakdown of glycogen stores in order to release glucose
- this increases the blood-glucose levels so more glucose can be transported to cells to create high rates of respiration
How does Adrenalin target the heart?
- binds to specific receptors in the heart, causing heart muscles to contract more frequently to increase the heart rate but also more strongly to increase the blood pressure.
- this increases the blood flow to muscles so that cells receive more oxygen and glucose for respiration
How does Adrenalin target blood vessels?
- Adrenalin causes the diameter of blood vessels, leading to muscles to widen in order to increase the blood flow to muscles providing more oxygen and glucose
- it also causes the diameter of blood vessels leading to other organs to narrow, reducing blood flow, but also increasing blood pressure
- makes all the blood travel to one specific area, or it could just be to make the overall pressure larger.
What are the ovaries?
- another endocrine gland which produces the sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone
- it’s target organ is the ovaries itself
What is puberty?
- a period in which adolescents start to develop secondary sexual characteristics
Eg. Boobs
What is the menstrual cycle?
- a cycle of changes in a women’s reproductive system that lasts around 28 days
- the menstrual cycle occurs so that the female body can release an egg and prepare the uterus for fertilisation
- this cycle continues from puberty to menopause
Name and describe the 4 stages of the menstrual cycle.
Stage 1- day 1- menstruation starts and the thickened part of the uterus lining along with an unfertilised egg cells breaks down due to the lack of fertilisation
Stage 2- day 4-14- the uterus lining begins to thicken again until it becomes fully repaired into a thick spongy layer, full of blood vessels and ready to carry a fertilised egg, oestrogen levels will increase in this stage because it helps to thicken the lining of the uterus
Stage 3- day 14- ovulation - the ovary develops an egg and releases it, LH levels rise because it surge triggers ovulation
Stage 4- 14-28- uterus lining is maintained (progesterone levels are high since it maintains the uterus lining) and continues to thicken. Eventually if no egg is fertilised, the spongy lining will start to break down and the whole cycle will begin again, progesterone levels drop allowing FSH to increase so the whole cycle is started again
Describe FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)
- released by the pituitary gland
- stimulates a follicle (an egg with surrounding cells) to mature in the ovaries
- stimulated ovaries to produce oestrogen, however when oestrogen levels are increased this inhibits FSH
Describe oestrogen
- hormone released from the ovaries
- causes the lining of uterus to grow and thicken
- high levels of oestrogen inhibits FSH but also stimulates LH
Describe LH (luteinising hormone)
- released by the pituitary gland
- LH surge stimulates ovulation on day 14- the follicle ruptures and the egg is released
- also stimulates the rest of the follicle to develop into a structure called corpus luteum which secretes progesterone
Describe progesterone
- released by the ovaries and corpus luteum after ovulation
- maintains the lining of the uterus
- inhibits the release of FSH and LH
- if levels of progesterone and oestrogen fall the uterus lining breaks down triggering menstruation
- low progesterone allows FSH to increase starting the cycle from scratch
- if a fertilised egg were to implant in the uterus, levels of progesterone would be very high in order to maintain the lining and keep in strong