Unit 3 Lesson 3: Processes of the Body: Function Flashcards
What is the main goal of understain physiology
Physiology seeks to understand how the parts of the body work together to form a healthy, living, whole organism.
What processes play a role in physiology
Physiology can look at any of the processes, from cellular reproduction to how the heart coordinates with other systems to pump blood around the body.
What is homeostasis
Homeostasis is the tendency towards a reasonably stable inner environment in a living organism.
What are process in the body the contribute to homeostatis
Many processes in the body contribute to keeping the body at about the same temperature, the same balance of water to other substances, and so on. The body processes are all geared towards keeping the body at a healthy equilibrium.
Where does homeostatis happen
Homeostasis happens at every level of a living organism.
What helps a cell keep its balance
A cell needs to keep the right balance of molecules to function well; one very helpful way is by the cell membrane selectively letting in or blocking substances from entering the cell.
What do bodies need to keep in balance?
- Nutrients: chemicals for energy and cell-building
- Oxygen
- Water
- Appropriate body temperature
- Atmospheric pressure: this is always pressing on your body, keeping the gases and liquids in your body at appropriate levels; that’s why in space, with no pressure, the human body can’t survive without protective suits.
What are feedback loops what role does this play in equilibrim
feedback loops—pathways that communicate the status and send signals to change the status if it is out of balance.
What is a snesor what role does this play in keeping equilbriium
First of all, there is a sensor, or receptor, that monitors a particular process to detect change.
What are some examples of a sensor
A sensor can be nerve cells on the skin that feel temperature or a chemical receptor that detects the amount of blood sugar in your blood.
The sensors detect change, then send a signal to the
control center
What is the control center
the control center, where this information will be compared to the normal range.
If the control center finds that the values are too far from the normal range what happens
it will trigger an effector to cause a change and return that value to the normal range.
What is Thermoregulation
When you add thermo—meaning heat—to the beginning of the word “regulation,” you have just made the scientific word for how the body keeps checks on temperature. Thermoregulation is done primarily through the skin, with sweating to release heat, widening or narrowing the blood vessels near the surface, or by insulating with the fat under the skin.
What does the osmo is Osmoregulation refer to
Osmo refers to the process of osmosis, which is the movement of water through a membrane to make the concentration of water and minerals equal on both sides of the membrane.