HOMEOSTASIS

 The maintenance of a constant internal environment

 The process of keeping the composition of body fluids (internal environment)
within narrow limits
 By ensuring a stable internal environment, homeostasis provides the organism
with a certain degree of independence from variations in the external
environment
 External environment: where organisms live
 Internal environment: where cells live, i.e tissue fluid

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
1. Stimulus: Change in the internal environment. Any change from the normal
condition
2. Receptor: Organs or structures that detect the stimulus
3. Corrective mechanism: To rectify the change
4. Negative feedback: The reverse effect of the stimulus

REGULATION OF BLOOD GLUCOSE CONCENTRATION:

Above normal: (after a meal)

1. STIMULUS: Increase in the blood glucose conc.
2. RECEPTOR (pancreas) is stimulated
3. CORRECTIVE MECHANISM:
 Pancreas secretes more insulin into the bloodstream
 Insulin is transported to the liver
 Insulin causes the liver to convert glucose to glycogen
 Glycogen is stored in the liver
4. NEGATIVE FEEDBACK:
 The glucose in the blood decreases to the normal level before it leaves
the liver and enters the general blood circulation

Below normal: (after vigorous exercise)

CORRECTIVE MECHANISM:
 Pancreas secretes glucagon
 Glucagon is transported to the liver
 Glucagon causes the liver to convert glycogen to glucose
 Glucose enters the bloodstream
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK:
 Glucose conc. Increases to the normal level
VASODILATION  Dilation of arterioles present in the dermis
 Brought about by vasomotor nerves
 More blood sent to the skin
 Regulation of temperature
VASOCONSTRICTIO  Contraction of arterioles
N  Less blood sent to the skin
 Regulation of temperature
SWEAT GLANDS  Each sweat gland is a coiled tube formed by a
down-growth of the epidermis
 Forms a tight knot in the dermis
 Richly surrounded by blood capillaries
 Sweat is secreted from blood
 Sweat travels through a sweat duct and a sweat
pore to the skin surface
 Sweat contains water, dissolved inorganic salts
(mainly sodium chloride) and a certain amount of
metabolic wastes like urea