Homeostasis in MAMMALS Flashcards
What is homeostasis ?
The process of maintaining constant internal body conditions
In order to function properly and efficiently what do organisms have?
Different control systems that ensure their internal conditions are kept relatively constant
Why is homeostasis critically important for organisms ?
Ensures the maintenance of optimal conditions for enzyme action and cell function
What do sensory cells detect ?
Information about the conditions inside and outside of the body
What are examples of physiological factors that are controlled by homeostasis in mammals include ?
-Core body temperature
- Blood pH
- Concentration of glucose in the blood
-Water potential of the blood
-Concentration of the respiratory gases (carbon dioxide and oxygen) in the blood
What do the majority of homeostatic control mechanisms in organisms to maintain homeostatic balance use?
Negative feeedback
What is homeostatic balance ?
To keep certain physiological factors such as blood glucose conc, within certain limits
What does a negative feedback control loop involve ?
- A receptor (or sensor) – to detect a stimulus that is involved with a condition / physiological factor
A coordination system (nervous system and endocrine system) – to transfer information between different parts of the body
An effector (muscles and glands) – to carry out a response
What is the outcome of a negative feedback loop?
The factor / stimulus is continuously monitored
If there is an increase in the factor, the body responds to make the factor decrease
If there is a decrease in the factor, the body responds to make the factor increase
Homeostasis in mammals relies on 2 diff coordination systems to transfer info between diff parts of the body. What are they?
Nervous system – information is transmitted as electrical impulses that travel along neurones
Endocrine system – information is transmitted as chemical messengers called hormones that travel in the blood
Define excretion
The removal of waste products made from metabolic reactions within the body
What are the excretory products formed in humans ?
CO2 and urea being formed in much larger quantities than others
Where is urea produced ?
in the liver from the deamination of excess amino acids
If more protein is eaten than is required what happens to the excess?
The excess cannot be stored in the body. However the amino acids within the protein can still provide useful energy
the amino acids within the protein can still provide useful energy.
To make this energy accessible. What happens?
The amino group is removed from each amino acid this process is known as deamination
Process of deamination:
The amino group (-NH2) of an amino acid is removed, together with an extra hydrogen atom
These combine to form ammonia (NH3)
The remaining keto acid may enter the Krebs cycle to be respired, be converted to glucose, or converted to glycogen / fat for storage
Ammonia
is a very soluble and highly toxic compound that is produced during deamination; it can be very damaging if allowed to build up in the blood
Ammonia is very damaging if allowed to build up in the blood. What happens ?
It dissolves in the blood to form alkaline ammonium hydroxide, disrupting blood pH
It can impact the reactions of cell metabolism such as respiration
It interferes with cell signalling processes
This is avoided by converting ammonia to urea
Urea is less soluble and less toxic than ammonia
What forms urea?
Ammonia combines with CO2
2NH3 + CO2 -> CO(NH2)2 + H2O
How many kidneys do humans have?
2 kidneys
What are the 2 very important functions kidneys responsible for?
As an osmoregulatory organ - they regulate the water content of the blood (vital for maintaining blood pressure)
As an excretory organ - they excrete the toxic waste products of metabolism (such as urea) and substances in excess of requirements (such as salts)
what is a receptor?
A cell or tissue that is sensitive to a specific stimulus and communicates with a control centre by generating nerve impulse or sending a chemical messenger
structure of kidney
fibrous capsule
The kidney itself is surrounded by a** fairly tough outer layer **
beneath the fibrous capsule, the kidney has three main areas. What are they?
- The cortex (contains the glomerulus, as well as the Bowman’s capsule, proximal convoluted tubule, and distal convoluted tubule of the nephrons)
-The medulla (contains the loop of Henle and collecting duct of the nephrons)
- The renal pelvis (where the ureter joins the kidney)
What is the function of the renal artery?
carries oxygenated blood (containing urea and salts) to kidneys
What is the function of the renal vein?
carries deoxygenated blood (that has had urea and excess salts removed) away from the kidneys.
What is the function of the kidney?
regulates water content of blood and filters blood
What is the function of the Ureter?
carries urine from kidneys to bladder
What is the function of the bladder?
stores urine (temp)
What is the function of the urethra?
releases urine outside of the body.
what is a nephron?
- each kidney contains thousands of tiny tubes -> nephrons
- functional unit of kidney
what is the nephoron resonsible for?
formation of urine
part of the network of blood vessels associated with each nephron
Within the Bowman’s capsule of each nephron is a structure known as ?
the glomerulus
Each glomerulus is supplied with blood by?
an afferent arteriole (which carries blood from the renal artery)
The capillaries of the glomerulus rejoin to form an?
efferent arteriole
Blood then flows from the efferent arteriole into a network of capillaries that run closely alongside the rest of the nephron
Blood from these capillaries eventually flows into the?
renal vein
what is the 2 stage process called for urine formation in the kidneys?
- Ultrafiltration
- Selective reabsorption
where does Ultrafiltration occur?
in Bowman’s capsule
where does selective reabsorption occur?
Proximal convoluted tube
what is Ultrafiltration?
small molecules (incl amino acids, water, glucose, urea and inorganic ions) are filtered out of the blood capillaries of the glomerulus and into the Bowmans capsule to from filtrate known as glomerular filtrate
what is selective reabsorption?
useful molecules are taken back (reabsorbed) from the filtrate and returned to the blood as the filtrate flows along the nephron.
After the necessary reabsorption of amino acids, water, glucose and inorganic ions is complete (even some urea is reabsorbed) what happens?
the filtrate eventually leaves the nephron and is now referred to as urine
This urine then flows out of the kidneys, along the ureters and into the bladder, where it is temporarily stored
ultrafiltration
The capillaries get narrower as they get further into the glomerulus what happens to the blood moving through them?
increases the pressure on the blood
- also already at high pressure as coming directly from renal artery which is connected to the aorta.
ultafiltration
The capillaries get narrower as they get further into the glomerulus which increases the pressure on the blood moving through them. what does this eventually cause?
the smaller molecules being carried in the blood to be forced out of the capillaries and into the Bowman’s capsule, where they form what is known as the filtrate
ultafiltration
The blood in the glomerular capillaries is separated from the lumen of the Bowman’s capsule by two cell layers with a basement membrane in between them.
what is the first cell layer?
the endothelium of the capillary – each capillary endothelial cell is perforated by thousands of tiny membrane-lined circular holes
ultafiltration
The blood in the glomerular capillaries is separated from the lumen of the Bowman’s capsule by two cell layers with a basement membrane in between them.
what is the next layer after the endothelium of the cappilary (1st layer)?
basement membrane – this is made up of a network of collagen and glycoproteins