Session 1 Flashcards
Give a full definition of Homeostasis
Homeostasis is the condition of dynamic equilibrium in the body’s internal environment due to the constant interaction of the body’s many regulatory processes.
Define Homeostasis Literally
Homeo = Sameness Stasis = Standing Still
What are some factors in the body that need to be controlled?
- pH
- Temperature
- concentration of oxygen, carbon dioxide, salt and other electrolytes
- the concentration of nutrients and waste products
- the volume and pressure (of water) in a cell
Why do all the factors named earlier need to be controlled?
Because if there’s too much or too little of any of them, then your tissues die
Why does the concentration of waste products need to be controlled?
It can be toxic
Why does the volume and pressure of water in a cell need to be controlled?
There needs to be enough for the cell to function but not so much that swelling occurs
What is a fundamental technique that the body uses to maintain homeostasis?
Feedback loops - both negative and positive
What happens in positive feedback systems?
The output enhances or exaggerates the origional stimulus
Distinguish between positive and negative feedback systems
Positive - strengthen or reinforce a change in one of the body’s controlled conditions
Negative - reverses a change in a controlled condition.
When does positive feedback stop?
When the initiator ceases
When does negative feedback stop?
When the effector ceases
