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Homeostasis and Body Temperature
Homeostasis and Body Temperature
YEAR 11B
HOMEOSTASIS
This is defined as the maintenance of a constant internal environment.
This is how the body functions to control the conditions within it constant. For example:
• Blood glucose levels – Both low and high levels of glucose in the blood are potentially fatal.
• Water content of body – osmoregulation – all chemical reactions occur in a water medium, it is
used as a transport medium (blood) etc.
The mechanism used to control levels of substances in the body is called negative feedback.
Feedback – as information is constantly fed back to receptors in the body that monitor levels
Negative – the body stops what it is doing, and does the opposite
This is very similar to the way a thermostat works in your house to heat up water.
Body temperature
Body temperature is also controlled by negative feedback, and involves feedback of information to the
hypothalamus in the brain that constantly monitors the temperature of the blood flowing through it.
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
- Erector muscles contract so
that hairs on the skin stand up.
Making warm air insulated.
Use this information to explain how a nose-bleed can be stopped by placing a cold towel over the nose.
Questions:
1. How do animals in very cold climates keep warm, or maintain their body temperature fairly constant?
In general, all animals have different methods to keep their body temperatures controlled.
Some have their muscles contract so that their heat is insulated in their fur. Other animals
even have some layers of fat in order to do the same thing, trap as much heat as they can
and insulate it for as much as they can before freezing.
2. Explain why smaller animals would loose heat more quickly than larger ones. Think about SA / Volume
ratio
In order to produce larger amounts of energy, large animals produce more heat. On the
other hand, small animal don't require that much energy so whenever they get some
energy, they tend to lose it quickly.
i) Muscles relaxes and hairs on the skin lie flat so less warm air is trapped.
iii) Sweat evaporates from the skin surface, losing heat in the process.
• Enzymes
They can only work properly in the perfect temperature. When its too cold, they can not function
correctly and when its too hot, they start to unravel themselves.
• Cell membranes
Just like in enzymes, they can only work properly in the perfect temperature. When its too cold, it
constricts so the least important molecules are able to pass through it. When its too hot, they do
not work correctly and let any stuff come in and out of it.