Homeostasis and the Kidney Flashcards
What is homeostasis?
The maintenance of a constant internal environment
What is mammalian tissue made up of?
A collection of cells bathed in tissue fluid
What features of the blood must be kept within narrow limits?
-Blood glucose concentration
-Temperature
-pH
-Water potential
Conc. of ions
-Oxygen levels
What is the mechanism of delivering homeostasis?
Negative feedback
What is negative feedback?
Type of control in which the conditions being regulated are returned to set values as soon as theyre detected to have deviated
What are the components of a negative feedback system?
- A detector device that measures the value of the variable (sensor)
- A control unit to which this information is transmitted
- When the value is below or above required level, the control unit activates an effector device
- Once it returns to normal levels, the control unit switches off the response (to avoid over correction, but does normally contain some level of overshoot)
What does hypotonic mean?
Having a lower osmotic pressure (Hypo - under/below)
What does hypertonic mean?
Having a higher osmotic pressure (more dissolved particles) (hyper - over/above)
What does isotonic mean?
?Having the same osmotic pressure
What is osmosis?
Net movement of molecules from a region of high water potential to a region of low water potential through a selectively permeable membrane
What is simple diffusion?
The movement of molecules through a cell membrane without aid
What is facilitated diffusion?
Passive movement of substances across a membrane with a carrier molecule
What is active transport?
The movement of dissolved molecules into or out of a cell from a region of lower concentration to a region of lower concentration, requiring energy as ATP from respiration
What is pinocytosis?
A type of endocytosis where the cell takes in fluids and dissolved particles
What are the roles of the kidney in mammals?
Excretion and osmoregulation
What is excretion?
The removal of toxic waste products of metabolism
What is osmoregulation?
The control of the water potential of body fluids