Maintaining Balance in Organisms

Question 1

What is pH a measure of?

Answer 1

The amount of acid or base in a substance

Question 2

Which end of the pH scale is acidic? Which side is basic? What number is considered neutral?

Answer 2

Left is acidic. Right is basic. 7 is neutral

Question 3

How much more acidic is something with a pH of 7 than something with a pH of 8?

Answer 3

10 times more acidic

Question 4

What does a buffer do? Why do living things contain buffer?

Answer 4

It maintains the pH of a solution. Living things are buffered because they need their pH to stay in a narrow range

Question 5

What happens to cause the pH of your blood to decrease? How does your body react to the decrease?

Answer 5

Blood pH decreases when it has more Co2 in it. The body reacts by increasing breathing rate to reduce Co2 content of blood

Question 6

What is homeostasis?

Answer 6

Maintaining constant internal conditions regardless of how the external conditions change

Question 7

Describe stress a an element of homeostasis

Answer 7

Stress is anything that threatens homeostasis… It is something that causes your body to have to react in some way

Question 8

Why would your body need to remove excess water to maintain homeostasis? Where does this happen? (which organ)

Answer 8

So that your blood is not diluted. Need certain concentrations of glucose, proteins, etc. Your kidneys remove the excess H2O from your blood

Question 9

Why does your body need to remove wastes to maintain homeostasis?

Answer 9

Sometimes to make space for substances you need Co2 to O2. Sometimes because the waste can be toxic

Question 10

Why does your body need to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide to maintain homeostasis?

Answer 10

O2 needed for cellular respiration (energy requirements) and Co2 molecules make blood acidic and take up space

Question 11

What are red blood cells responsible for? White blood cells?

Answer 11

Red: carry oxygen
White: soldier cells, fight diseases

Question 12

Describe a feedback system. Give an example.

Answer 12

Involves sensors receiving information triggering a response.
ex: Co2 level in blood turns blood acidic then triggers a higher breathing rate

Question 13

What is the difference between a physiological and a behavioral response? Give some examples of each

Answer 13

Physiological: your body responds - ex: Goosebumps

Behavioral: your response that you choose - ex: putting on a sweater

Question 14

What types of physiological responses are involved in maintaining body temperature?

Answer 14

Shivering, Goosebumps, restricted blood flow to the skin, arms & legs

Question 15

Which body system is responsible for monitoring body temperature?

Answer 15

The Nervous System

Question 16

Where are the sensors for body temperature monitoring located?

Answer 16

On the skin - nerves

Question 17

If you have an oxygen deficiency how does your body react?

Answer 17

Increased breathing rate

Question 18

What happens to your rate of respiration when you sleep?

Answer 18

It slows down, you don’t need as much O2

Question 19

What is the job of the human liver?

Answer 19

Detox blood and produce bile for digestion

Question 20

In order for the endocrine system to work correctly is has to work very closely with what other system?

Answer 20

Nervous system

Question 21

Where do the endocrine system and the nervous system meet?

Answer 21

Between the hypothalamuses and pituitary gland

Question 22

What is the basic job of the endocrine system?

Answer 22

Send chemical messages to target cells to affect change in the body

Question 23

What are hormones?

Answer 23

Chemical messengers

Question 24

How are hormones delivered to different parts of the body?

Answer 24

By the circulatory system. They travel in the blood

Question 25

Pituitary Gland
Location:
Function:

Answer 25

Location: attached to the rain below the hypothalamus
Function:*regulated by hypothalamus (nervous system)
*connects nervous system to the endocrine system
*secretes 9 hormones that regulate many functions, and other endocrine glands

Question 26

Thyroid
Location:
Function:

Answer 26

Location: lower part of larynx
Function: *regulates metabolism
*maintains hear beat, body temperature, and blood pressure
*produces thyroxin (regulates metabolism)

Question 27

Adrenal glands
Location:
Function:

Answer 27

Location: two of them; located on top of each kidney
Function: *adrenaline - fight of flight, stress increases, hormone released, glycogen released into the blood stream (positive feedback example
*heart rate & blood pressure increase and more blood is sent to the heart, brain, and muscles
*not part of excretory system

Question 28

Gonads: Ovaries, Testes
Location:
Function:

Answer 28

Location: side of uterus or scrotum
Function: *estrogen/ progesterone - regulate secondary sex characteristics and pregnancy
*testosterone - regulate secondary sex characteristics

Question 29

Pancreas
Location:
Function:

Answer 29

Location: beneath the stomach
Function: *regulates blood sugar
*produces insulin to reduce blood sugar by bonding glucose together into glycogen which lowers blood pressure
*glucagon raises blood sugar by releasing glucose

Question 30

Thymus
Location:
Function:

Answer 30

Location: near sternum/heart
Function:*development of immune system - stimulates the development of T- cells for immune defense

Question 31

Pineal Gland
Location:
Function:

Answer 31

Location: base of brain
Function: *secretes melatonin to regulate sleep patterns

Question 32

Parathyroid (4 of them)
Location:
Function:

Answer 32

Location: back of thyroid (behind)
Function: *parathyroid hormone - increases calcium ions for normal bone growth, muscle tone, and neural activity