SB7 Animal Coordination, Control and Homeostasis Flashcards
Define hormone
A chemical substance produced by a gland and carried in the bloodstream, which alters the activity of specific target organs
What system makes use of hormones?
The Endocrine System
What is the pituitary gland?
The master gland, which secrets several hormones in response to the body’s conditions, such as water levels
What hormones are produced in the pituitary gland?
- growth hormone
- follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
- LH
What hormone is produced in the thyroid?
Thyroxine
What hormones are produced in the pancreas?
- insulin
- glucagon
What hormones are produced in the ovaries?
- oestrogen
- progesterone
What hormone is produced in the testes?
Testosterone
What hormone is produced in the adrenal gland?
Adrenaline
What are the effects of the growth hormone?
- makes muscle and bone cells divide
- increases ca2+ absorption from the digestive system
- increases protein production
What are the effects of FSH?
Allows egg to mature in the menstrual cycle
What are the effects of LH?
Allows egg to be released in the menstrual cycle
What are the effects of thyroxine?
- increases heart activity
- regulates metabolic rate
- increases fat, protein and carbs breakdown
What are the effects of oestrogen?
- stops FSH release, so that the egg isn’t matured
What are the effects of progesterone?
- thickens the mucus of the cervix
- stops LH release
What are the effects of insulin and glucagon?
- insulin: reduces blood glucose levels
- glucagon: increases blood glucose levels
What are the effects of adrenaline?
- increases blood flow to muscles
- makes the heart work harder
- conversion of glycogen to glucose in liver cells which increases glucose production
- this causes more energy to be released by the muscles in respiration
- and more glucose supplied to the muscles
What are the effects of testosterone?
- increases muscle and bone mass
- makes voice deeper
What is the metabolic rate and how is it measured?
The rate are which chemical reactions occur in the body. It is measured:
- at rest
- in a warm room
- after a long meal
Define homeostasis
The maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism
Explain what negative feedback is
Responds when conditions change from the ideal or set point and returns conditions to this set point
What are the differences between the nervous system and the endocrine system?
- Nervous system is controlled by electric signals whereas the endocrine is controlled by chemicals
- N is transported by the nerve cells whereas hormones are transported through the bloodstream
- N stimulates a much faster response as compared to E
- The duration of hormones last much longer than that of the nerve impulses
What is the role of the hypothalamus?
It is the part of the brain which controls the water balance, temperature, and secretion of hormones by the pituitary gland
Explain the effect of the negative feedback system when the thyroxine levels in the blood are low
- stimulate the hypothalamus to release TRH
- which causes the release TSH by the pituitary gland
- this hormone triggers the release of thyroxine by the thyroid
- causing the blood levels to return to normal
Explain the effect of negative feedback when the thyroxine levels in the blood are high
- hypothalamus inhibits the production of TRH
- stopping production of TSH
- stopping the thyroxine from being released
- so blood levels can return to normal
When is adrenaline produced and what does it do?
- produced during times of fear and stress
- targets vital organs
- increases heart rate
- boosts oxygen delivery to brain and muscles
What is the menstrual cycle?
The process that the body undergoes every month to prepare for a potential pregnancy
What hormones are involved in the menstrual cycle?
- FSH: maturation of the egg in the ovary
- LH: stimulates the release of an egg cell
- oestrogen: repairing and thickening the uterus lining + inhibiting FSH
- progesterone: maintains uterus lining
Explain the interaction between all the hormones in the menstrual cycle
- the pituitary gland produces FSH which causes the development of a follicle in an ovary
- whilst developing, the follicle produces the hormone oestrogen
- this stops the production of FSH and thickens the uterus lining
- when the oestrogen rises high enough, the pituitary gland releases LH, which causes ovulation, wherein an egg is released from the follicle
- the follicle becomes a corpus luteum which triggers the production of oestrogen and progesterone inhibiting FSH + LH
- if the egg hasn’t been fertilised, the corpus luteum dies and uterus sheds its lining which is menstruation
What is a corpus luteum?
The remains of the follicle in the ovary after it has released an egg