M5 C15: homeostasis Flashcards
what is homeostasis?
maintaining a dynamic equilibrium with fluctuations over a narrow range
why does homeostasis include fluctuations over a narrow range?
impossible to be completely stable within the body
what are some factors controlled by homeostasis?
temperature
urea concentration
blood glucose conc
blood ph
what is negative feedback?
when a increase or decrease in conditions is detected the body will either have a response so the body goes back to ideal conditions
what are some examples of negative feedback?
insulin- lowers blood glucose conc by converting glucose to glycogen
glucagon- increases blood glucose conc by converting glycogen to glucose
what is positive feedback?
when a change is detected in conditions, a response reinforces the change.
what are some example of positive feedback?
blood clotting
depolarisation
contractions
thermoregulation
maintenance of a relatively constant core body temp
why is maintaining a constant core body temp good?
maintains optimum enzyme activity
what is an ectotherm?
animals that use their surroundings to warm their bodies
what is an endotherm?
animals that rely on metabolic processes to warm up and maintain a stable temp
what are behavioral responses?
change in how organisms behaves to different stimuli
what are physiological responses?
automatic responses to stimulus due to physiological features of an organism
what is conduction?
heating due to collision of particles/molecules
are gases, solids or liquids good conductors?
gases- poor due to low freq of collisions
liquids + solids - good due to particles being close together
what is convection?
heating and cooling due to currents of air.
e.g. warm air rises, but cools down the higher it is. this then sinks and warms up again as it is closer to the ground.
what is radiation?
heating and cooling by transmission of electromagnetic waves to and from a source
what type of organisms are ectotherms?
fish
amphibians
reptiles
invertebrate animals
why are most aquatic animals ectotherms?
they live in water, which has a high heat capacity. this means it doesn’t change temperature easily so they don’t need to thermoregulate themselves
what are some behavioural responses a ectotherm could do to warm up?
increasing SA towards sun
vibrating
pressing body against warm ground
bating in sun
what are some physiological responses a ectotherm could do to warm up?
increase heart rate
darker colour
what are some behavioural responses a ectotherm could do to cool down?
hide in cracks
reduce movements
face body away from sun
what are some physiological responses a ectotherm could do to cool down?
decrease metabolic rate
why can ectotherms live in environments with limited food?
because they need less energy to maintain a constant core body temp to regulate temp
what is a disadvantage of ectotherms?
affected by fluctuations in the environment
what is vasodilation?
when arterioles near the surface of the skin dilate and the vessels between the arterioles and venules constrict, forcing blood through capilaries close to the skin
what does vasodilation do to an organsism?
cools it down due to radiation of heat from blood to skin
what does increased sweating do?
cools an organism down as heat is lost due to evaporation which cools the blood below the skin
what is vasoconstriction?
arterioles near the surface of the skin constrict and the vessels that connect them to the venules dilate so less blood goes close to the surface of the skin
what does vasoconstriction do?
warms up the organism as there is little radiation taking place
what does decreased sweating do?
decreasing cooling as there is little evaporation happening from water on the surface of the skin
what is hypothermia?
core body temperature falls below 36 degrees
what is a fever?
core body temperature rises above 38 degrees
what does the hypothalamus do?
monitors temperature by thermoreceptors in skin
what do receptors in the hypothalamus detect?
temperature changes in the brain and blood
how is the heat loss centre in the hypothalamus activated?
when blood temperature flowing through increases. It sends impulses through autonomic motor neurons to effectors in the skin and muscles, triggering responses that act to lower core temperature.
how is the heat gain centre in the hypothalamus activated?
when blood temperature flowing through decreases. It sends impulses through autonomic motor neurones to effectors in the skin and muscles, triggering responses that act to raise core temperature.
what are the 3 main roles of the liver?
carbohydrate metabolism
detoxification
deamination
what is deamination?
the amino group (NH2) is removed from an amino acid … converted to ammonia … and then the less toxic urea, to be excreted. The remainder of the amino acid is then used in cellular respiration or converted into lipids for storage.
why is deamination needed?
the body cannot store proteins or amino acids,
How are bile pigments produced in the body?
Breakdown of haemoglobin from old red blood cells in the liver
how is the blood supplied to the liver?
by hepatic artery
how is blood taken away from the liver to the heart?
by the hepatic vein