Science - Biology - Homeostasis - B5 Flashcards
why is it important that conditions inside your body are steady ?
cells need the right conditions to function properly
what does homeostasis do ?
make sure the conditions in your body are right so it can function properly
what is the definition of homeostasis ?
regulation of conditions inside your body to maintain a stable environment in response to changes in both internal and external conditions
what are control systems ?
in your body to regulate your internal environment
give 2 examples of control systems
nervous and hormonal systems
give examples of conditions in your internal environment
- body temperature
- blood glucose content
- water content of the body
what is a stimulus ?
a change to the environment you need to respond to
what is the automatic control system made up of ?
receptors - coordination centre - effectors
give examples of a coordination centre in your body
brain and spinal cord
give examples of effectors
muscles / glands
what are receptors ?
detect a stimulus when the level of something is too high or low
what does the bodies automatic control system do ?
work together to maintain a steady system
what does the coordination centre do ?
processes information and organises responses
what do effectors do ?
respond to counteract the change bringing level back to optimum
what is negative feedback ?
the mechanism that restores optimum level
give an example of a negative feedback mechanism
optimum level -
level changes from optimum -
receptors detect change -
coordination centre recieves then processes information and organises a response -
effectors respond-
what does automatic mean ?
brain doesn’t get involved
what is the optimum body temperature ?
37 degrees
why is it more difficult for a multicellular organism to respond to a stimulus ?
the cells need to communicate with each other first
what systems do multicellular organism have to help them to react to a stimulus ?
hormonal and nervous systems
what is the nervous system ?
a system which allows you to react to your surroundings and coordinate your behavior
what is the nervous system made up of ?
neurones
what are neurones ?
nerve cells
what are receptors ?
cells which detect stimuli
give examples of receptors in the body
- taste receptors on tongue
-sound receptors in ears - smell receptors in nose
- light receptors in the eyes
where are light receptor cells in the eye ?
they are covered on the retina
what is the central nervous system ?
where all the information from the receptors is sent and where reflexes are coordinated
where is the central nervous system in vertebrates ?
spinal cord and brain
What neurones is the CNS connected to ?
the sensory and motor neurones
what to neurones do for the CNS ?
transmit information and electrical impulses to and from the CNS
what are effectors ?
muscles or glands which respond to nervous impulses and bring a response to the stimulus
give examples on how effectors respond to the stimulus
muscles contract
glands secrete chemical substances called hormones
what are the different types of neurone ?
sensory neurones
relay neurones
motor neurones
what do sensory neurones do ?
carry information as electrical impulses from the receptors in the sense organs to the CNS
what do relay neurones do ?
carry electrical impulses from sensory neurones to motor neurones
where are relay neurones found ?
CNS
what are motor neurones ?
neurones that carry electrical impulses from the CNS to the effectors
show the transmission of information to and from the CNS
stimulus
receptors - sensory neurone
relay neurone - CNS
- motor neurone - effector
response
what is a synapse ?
the connection between 2 neurones
how do synapses work ?
the nerve signal is transferred by chemicals which diffuse across the gap, these chemicals set off a new electrical signal in the next neurone
describe step by step, a synapse
- nerve impulses reach the end of the first neurone
- chemicals are released
- new impulse is set off in the next neurone
why do neurones transmit information quickly ?
they are transmitted by electrical impulses
how do synapses slow down nerve impulse transmissions ?
the diffusion of chemicals across the gap takes time
what are reflexes ?
fast automatic responses to a certain stimuli
how do reflexes work ?
they bypass your conscious brain completely when a quick response is essential
what do reflexes help with ?
they reduce your chances of being injured
give an example of how reflexes work
- if someone shines a bright light in your eyes your pupils automatically get smaller, so less light gets in your eyes = less damage
- adrenaline is a hormone which gets your body ready for action, so if you get a shock your body automatically releases adrenaline
- knee jerk reflex, doctors test this by tapping below the knee with a small hammer which stimulates pressure receptors making a muscle in the upper leg contract, this helps maintain posture and balance
what is a reflex arc ?
the passage of information in a reflex
where do the neurones in a reflex arc travel through ?
the spinal cord or unconscious part of the brain
describe step by step what happens in a reflex arc
- when a stimulus is detected, impulses are sent along the sensory neurone to the CNS
- when the impulses reach a synapse between the sensory and relay neurone they trigger chemicals to be released, these chemicals cause impulses to be sent along the relay neurone
- when impulses reach the synapse between relay neurones and motor neurones the same thing happens
- impulses travel along motor neurone to the effector
- if effector is a muscle, it will respond by contracting, if its a gland, it will release hormones
give a summary diagram of a reflex arc
stimulus
receptor
snesory neurone - relay neurone - motor neurone
effector
response
give an example of a reflex arc if a bee stung you
- cheeky bee stings finger
- stimulation of pain from receptor
- impulses travel along sensory neurone
- impulses are passed along relay neurone via synapse
- impulses travel along motor neurone via synapse
- when impulses reach the muscles, it contracts
- hand moves away source of pain #ouch
what is reaction time ?
the time taken to respond to a stimulus
what is reaction time affected by ?
- age
- gender
- drugs
describe the practical showing how caffeine affects reaction time
- person being tested sits with their arm resting against a table
- hold a ruler vertically between thumb and forefinger. Make sure the 0 end of the ruler is level with their thumb and finger
- let go of ruler randomly
- person being tested tries to catch ruler as fast as possible
- reaction time is measured at the top of the ruler where it was caught at the top of the ruler
- repeat several times and calculate a mean
person being tested should have drank a caffeinated after 10 minutes repeat these steps
what are the control variables of the reaction time experiment ?
- use the same person to catch the ruler each time
- person should use the same hand to catch the ruler
- ruler should be dropped from the same height
- make sure the person catching hasn’t had caffeine before the start of the experiment
what are the safety issues of the reaction time experiment ?
- drinks need to be consumed outside of the science lab away from chemicals
- too much caffeine can cause side effect
how can you measure reaction time using technology ?
using a computer, the person tested has to click the mouse as soon as they see a stimulus on the screen such as a change in colour
how can computers be more accurate to measure reaction time ?
they remove human error as they can record reaction time in milliseconds
removes possibility that the person can predict when to respond as in the ruler test the catcher may anticipate when to catch by reading body language
what does the brain do ?
controls and coordinates everything you do , like running, breathing, jumping
what is the brain made up of ?
billions of interconnected neurones
what are the different regions of the brain ?
cerebral cortex
medulla
cerebellum
what is the cerebral cortex ?
the outer, wrinkly layer of the brain, responsible for things like consciousness, intelligence, memory language
what is the medulla ?
at the base of the brain, at the top of the spinal cord, controls unconscious activities like breathing and your heartbeat
what is the cerebellum ?
at the back of the brain, responsible for muscle coordination
what are scientists that research the brain called ?
neuroscientists
how do doctors study patients with brain damage ?
if a small part of the brain has been damaged, the effect this has on the patient tells us a lot about what the damaged part of the brain does, e.g if the patient went blind, you know the area damaged had something to do with vision
how is the brain electrically stimulated ?
by pushing a small electrode into the tissue and giving it a small zap of electricity
how can electrically stimulating the brain help us ?
it shows what parts of the brain does, e.g if the motor area is stimulated it causes muscles contraction
what is an MRI scan ?
a magnetic resonance imaging scanner
what does an MRI scan do ?
produces a very detailed picture of the brains structures
how does a MRI scan help ?
finds out what parts of the brain are active when people are trying to do things like listen to music / recall memory
how does electrical stimulation help the brain ?
can help reduce muscles tremors caused by disorders such as parkinsons disease
how is brain surgery helpful ?
can remove parts of the brain which cause seizures, treats epilepsy
what is the disadvantage of messing with the brain ?
its difficult
could causes increased problems with brain function
could cause physical damage
could cause brain damage/disease
what are the different structures of the eye ?
sclera
iris
retina
pupil
lens
cornea
optic nerve
ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments
what does the sclera do ?
tough,supporting wall of the eye
what does the cornea do ?
transparent outer layer found at the front of the eye
pupil
hole at the centre of the eye through which light enters
iris
contains muscles which control the diameter of the pupil and therefore how much light enters
retina
layer at the back of the eye which contains 2 types of light repector cells
what are the 2 type of light receptor cells in the retina ?
- 1 is sensitive to light intensity
- 1 is sensitive to colour
lens
focuses light onto retina
ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments
controls shape of the lens
optic nerve
carries impulses from receptors on the retina to the brain
what is the iris reflex ?
the reflex which helps protect the retina
what happens with the iris reflex if too bright light is shined in the eye ?
reflex is triggered to make pupil smaller, circular muscles in the iris contract and radial muscles relax to reduce amount of light which enters the eye
what happens to the iris reflex if light is too dim?
radial muscles contract and circular muscles relax which makes the pupil wider, allowing more light in
what is accommodation ?
the ability to look at near and distant objects through the unconscious part of the brain, the eye focuses light onto the retina by changing the shape of the lens
what happens in the eye if you want to look at near objects ?
- ciliary muscles contract, which slackens suspensory ligaments
- lens becomes more curved
- increases amount by which it refracts light
what happens to the eye if you want to look at distant objects ?
- ciliary muscles relax, which pulls the suspensory ligaments tightly
- this makes the lens go less curved
- it refracts light by a smaller amount
what happens if the lens in the eye cannot refract light by the right amount
the person is long or short sighted
what is long sightedness called ?
hyperopia
why are people longsighted ?
their lens is the wrong shape and doesn’t refract the light enough or the eyeball is too short so the image of near objects are brought into focus behind the retina
how is long-sightedness fixed ?
by wearing glasses with a convex lens, where the lens curves outwards. The lens refracts so they focus on the retina
what is the name form short sightedness ?
myopia
why is short sightedness caused ?
the lens refracts light too much or the eyeball is too long so the image is brought to focus in front of the retina
how is short sightedness fixed ?
wearing glasses with a concave lens which curves inwards so light rays focus on the retina
what are contact lenses ?
thin lenses which sit on the surface of the eye and are shaped to fix the fault in focusing
what are the benefits of contact lenses ?
- lightweight
- basically invisible
- good for sports
what are the 2 types of contact lenses ?
hard lenses and soft lenses
what are the advantages and disadvantages of soft lenses ?
more comfortable but have a higher risk of eye infections
what is laser eye surgery ?
used to vaporise tissue changing the shape of the cornea
how does laser eye surgery help with short sightedness ?
slimming the tissue down makes it less powerful
how does laser eye surgery help with long sightedness ?
changing the shape so its more powerful
what is an advantage of laser eye surgery ?
the surgeon can precisely control how much tissue the laser takes off fully correcting vision
what is a disadvantage of laser eye surgery ?
risk to eye infections, or having a bad reaction to surgery
what is replacement lens surgery ?
long sightedness is treated by replacing the natural lens with a clear thin piece of plastic
what are the risks of replacement lens surgery ?
higher risks than laser eye surgery, can cause blindness
what is the thermoregulatory centre ?
acts as your own personal thermostat to monitor body temperature by balancing energy gained and lost
how does the thermoregulatory centre work ?
- receptors in the thermoregulatory centre that are sensitive to the temperature of the blood flowing through the brain
- receptors in the skin send information about skin temperature via nervous impulses
how is body temperature controlled ?
through a negative feedback system if it gets too high/low the body responds to bring the temperature back to optimum
how does the body respond to temperature changing ?
when temperature receptors detect core body temp has changed it sends impuleses to the thermoregulatory centre which processes information and automatically triggers effectors to help bring temp levels back to optimum
give examples of responses which reduce body temperature ?
- hairs on skin lie flat so less air is trapped near the surface of the skin so there isnt a layer of insulating air around the skin
-sweat is produced by sweat glands
-blood vessels supplying skin capillaries dilate so more blood flows closer to surface of skin which is called vasodilation which transfers energy to environment from skin