Topic 7: Animal Control, Coordination and Homeostasis Flashcards
What are adrenal glands?
Endocrine glands located above the kidneys that produce adrenaline.
What is adrenaline?
A hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is involved in the ‘fight or flight’ response.
What does adrenaline do?
It increases heart rate, blood pressure, blood flow to muscles and blood glucose levels.
What is anti-diuretic hormone (ADH)?
A hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that increases the collecting duct’s permeability to water.
What is Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)?
A fertility treatment in which a woman’s eggs are handled outside of the body.
What is the barrier method of contraception?
A type of contraception that prevents the sperm and egg meeting, e.g. condoms, diaphragms.
What is body mass index (BMI)?
A value based on height and mass used to categorise an individual as underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese.
What is Bowman’s capsule?
The cup-like structure at the start of a nephron that surrounds the glomerulus.
What is the function of Bowman’s capsule?
Small molecules, water and ions are forced into the Bowman’s capsule during filtration.
What is clomifene?
A drug prescribed to women who do not ovulate regularly.
What does clomifene do?
It stimulates the secretion of more FSH and LH, triggering egg production and ovulation.
What is the collecting duct?
The final section of the nephron in which water is selectively reabsorbed and urine is sent to the ureter.
How is the permeability of the collecting duct altered?
Its permeability to water is altered by ADH.
What is the combined pill?
A contraceptive taken orally that contains both oestrogen and progesterone.
What is contraception?
A method or device used to prevent pregnancy.
What is a contraceptive injection?
An injection that releases progesterone into the bloodstream to prevent pregnancy.
What is a contraceptive patch?
A patch that releases both oestrogen and progesterone into the bloodstream through the skin to prevent pregnancy.
What is the corpus luteum?
A temporary endocrine structure formed from the remains of the follicle that secretes progesterone.
What is the dermis?
The layer of tissue below the epidermis.
What does the dermis contain?
It contains temperature-sensitive receptors and sweat glands.
What is diabetes?
A condition where the homeostatic control of blood glucose levels stops working.
What is dialysis?
A medical procedure that artificially filters the blood of patients with kidney failure.
How does dialysis work?
It relies on a partially permeable membrane between the patient’s blood and dialysis fluid.
What is an effector?
An organ, tissue, or cell that produces a response to a stimulus.
What is an endocrine gland?
Glands of the endocrine system that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream.
What is the endocrine system?
A network of glands that produce and secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
What is the epidermis?
The outer layer of the skin.
What does the epidermis contain?
It contains temperature-sensitive receptors that provide information about the external temperature.
What is the fight or flight response?
A physiological reaction that occurs in response to stress where the body prepares to confront danger or flee from it.
What is filtration?
The removal of small molecules, water and ions from the blood in the glomerulus of the kidney at high pressure.
What is follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)?
A hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that binds to follicle cells, stimulating them to mature and secrete oestrogen.
What is the glomerulus?
A bundle of capillaries located in the capsule of a nephron adapted for the filtration of blood.
What is glucagon?
A hormone secreted by the pancreas when blood glucose concentration is too low.
What does glucagon do?
It causes the breakdown of glycogen to glucose in the liver.
What is glycogen?
A store of glucose in the liver and muscle tissues.
What is homeostasis?
The maintenance of a stable internal environment in the body despite fluctuations in internal and external conditions.
What is a hormone?
A cell signalling molecule produced by endocrine glands and released into the blood.
What does a hormone do?
It travels to a target organ and binds to receptors on effectors, initiating a response.
What is the hypothalamus?
A structure in the brain that contains the thermoregulatory centre.
What does the hypothalamus do?
It coordinates information from the receptors and sends instructions to the effectors.
What is insulin?
A hormone secreted by the pancreas when blood glucose concentration is too high.
What does insulin do?
It causes liver and muscle cells to increase their uptake of glucose and the conversion of glucose to glycogen in the liver.
What is in vitro fertilisation (IVF)?
The fertilisation of an egg using sperm outside of the body.
What happens after fertilisation in IVF?
The zygote is allowed to grow and the resulting embryo is transferred to the uterus.
What is a kidney?
One of a pair of organs in the abdomen that has a role in osmoregulation and nitrogenous excretion.
What is luteinising hormone (LH)?
A hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that initiates ovulation.
What does luteinising hormone (LH) stimulate?
It stimulates the development of the remains of the follicle into a corpus luteum.
What is the menstrual cycle?
The monthly cycle in women that involves the development of the uterus lining, ovulation, maintenance of the uterus lining and its shedding.
What is menstruation?
The shedding of the uterus lining that begins at day 1 of the menstrual cycle.
What is metabolic rate?
The rate at which biochemical reactions occur in cells.
What is the mini-pill?
An oral contraceptive that contains progesterone only.
What is negative feedback?
A corrective mechanism that allows only small shifts from a set point, reversing a change in conditions.
What is a nephron?
The functional unit of the kidney.
What is oestrogen?
A female sex hormone released by the ovaries that causes the growth and repair of the uterus lining.
What does high levels of oestrogen stimulate?
A surge in LH production.
What is osmoregulation?
The maintenance of constant water levels in the body fluids of an organism.
What are ovaries?
A pair of endocrine glands in females that secrete oestrogen into the bloodstream.
What is ovulation?
When an ovary releases an egg at around day 14 of the menstrual cycle.
What is the pancreas?
An endocrine gland situated behind the stomach that produces insulin.
What is the pituitary gland?
An endocrine gland that produces hormones which control other glands.
What is progesterone?
A female sex hormone secreted by the corpus luteum that maintains the uterus lining.
What does progesterone inhibit?
FSH and LH release.
What is a receptor?
A specialised structure that detects a specific type of stimulus.
What are renal arteries?
Blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood to the kidneys.
What are renal veins?
Blood vessels that drain the kidneys.
What is selective reabsorption?
The selective reuptake of useful substances into the blood.
What substances are reabsorbed during selective reabsorption?
All sugars, some water and some ions.
What is shivering?
The involuntary contraction of muscles which generates heat from respiration.
What are testes?
A pair of endocrine glands in males which secrete testosterone into the bloodstream.
What is thermoregulation?
The maintenance of core body temperature.
What is the thermoregulatory centre?
An area of the hypothalamus that regulates body temperature.
What does the thermoregulatory centre contain?
Receptors sensitive to blood temperature.
What is the thyroid gland?
An endocrine gland located in the neck that produces thyroxine.
What is thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)?
A hormone secreted by the hypothalamus when blood thyroxine levels are lower than normal.
What does TRH stimulate?
The pituitary gland to release TSH.
What is thyrotropin-stimulating hormone (TSH)?
A hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates the thyroid gland to release thyroxine.
What is thyroxine?
A hormone secreted by the thyroid gland that controls metabolic rate, heart rate and temperature.
What is a transplant?
A medical procedure in which an organ or tissue in an individual is replaced.
What is type 1 diabetes?
A type of diabetes in which the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin.
How is type 1 diabetes controlled?
Using daily insulin injections, limiting refined sugar intake and getting regular exercise.
What is type 2 diabetes?
A type of diabetes in which a person develops insulin resistance or doesn’t produce enough insulin.
What often causes type 2 diabetes?
Obesity.
How is type 2 diabetes controlled?
By eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise.
What is urea?
A chemical produced from the breakdown of excess amino acids in the liver.
What is a ureter?
A tube that takes urine to the bladder from the kidneys.
What is a urethra?
A tube that releases urine from the bladder, out of the body.
What is the urinary system?
The body’s drainage system that removes waste materials.
What does the urinary system consist of?
The kidneys, the ureters, the bladder and the urethra.
What is urine?
The waste product of the kidney that contains urea, excess water and excess ions.
What is vasoconstriction?
Constriction of blood vessels near the surface of the skin.
What does vasoconstriction do?
Less blood flows close to the skin surface, decreasing heat loss to the surroundings.
What is vasodilation?
Dilation of blood vessels near the surface of the skin.
What does vasodilation do?
This allows blood to flow closer to the skin surface, increasing heat loss to the surroundings.
What is waist-to-hip ratio?
The ratio of the circumference of the waist to the circumference of the hips.
What can waist-to-hip ratio indicate?
Abdominal obesity.
