Topic 9 Integumentary System: Functions of Skin Flashcards
1
Q
- Made up of the skin, hair, glands, and some nerve endings
A
Integumentary System
2
Q
- Helps regulate body temperature. Blood can be shunted away from the capillaries of the skin to reduce heat loss, hairs can be erected (piloerection) via sympathetic stimulation to trap insulating air next to skin
- Goosebumps, the piloerection reflex, can occur when cold in response to stress/emotion. The response is a vestigial reflex that may have been used to make ancestors appear larger to scare predators
A
- Thermoregulation
3
Q
- Skin is physical barrier to abrasion, bacteria, dehydration, many chemicals, and UV radiation
A
- Protection
4
Q
- Skin gathers information about the environment by sensing temperature, pressure, pain and touch
A
- Environmental Sensory Input
5
Q
- Water and salts are excreted through the skin, and independent of sweating, we diffuse water out via insensible fluid loss
A
- Excretion
6
Q
- Specialized cells of the epidermis are components of the immune system
A
- Immunity
7
Q
- Vessels in the dermis hold up to 10% of the blood in a resting adult
A
- Blood Reservoir
8
Q
- UV radiation activated skin molecules that are precursors to vitamin D
A
- Vitamin D Synthesis
