 Define homeostasis as the maintenance of a constant internal environment in the human body.

 Outline the stimulus-response model of homeostatic control, including defining each part; stimulus, receptor, control centre, effector and response.
 State the role of the nervous system in maintaining homeostasis.
 State the major components of the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
 Identify the following structures of the brain – cerebrum, cerebellum, hypothalamus and brainstem.
 State the general functions of the cerebrum, cerebellum, hypothalamus and brainstem.
 Recognise and label a diagram of the basic structures of a neuron, including the dendrites, cell body, axons and myelin sheaths.
 Recognise the basic structural characteristics of a sensory, motor and connector neuron.
 State the basic function of a sensory, motor and connector neuron.
 Define the role of neurotransmitters in the nervous system.
 Outline the basic process of how a neurotransmitter is used to communicate a message between two neurons across a synapse.
 Outline the purpose of a spinal reflex in responding to environmental stimuli.
 Recall the basic components of a reflex arc and link these components into a simple pathway.
 Outline the body’s responses to short-term changes in body temperature such as sweating and shivering.
 State the role of the endocrine system in maintaining homeostasis.
 Identify the following endocrine glands in the human body– pituitary, pancreas, adrenal glands, testes and ovaries.
 Outline the roles of hormones in the endocrine system including how hormones travel around the body.
 Outline how hormones are only able to affect specific target cells.
 Outline the body’s response to short-term changes in blood glucose (sugar) levels, including the basic effects of insulin and glucagon.
 Recognise the key differences between the nervous and endocrine systems in terms of the nature of the message (electrochemical and chemical) , how the message is transported in the body, speed
of the message and the duration of the response to the message.

 Recognise the difference between an infectious and a non-infectious disease.

 Recall that the immune system’s function is to protect your body’s normal functioning if it is disrupted due to attacks from the external environment.
 Define a pathogen as any organism that can cause an immune response in our body.
 Recall that pathogens can be microorganisms including bacteria and viruses
 Recall the general characteristics of bacterial cells, including the presence of a cell wall, lack of a nucleus, and that they reproduce asexually
 Outline why some bacteria make us sick when they enter our bodies.
 Recall the general characteristics of viruses, including their basic structure (protein coat and genetic information) and they that reproduce in host cells
 Outline how pathogens can be transmitted, including direct and indirect contact, and what we can do to try and minimise the spread of disease.
 State the role of the immune system in maintaining homeostasis.
 Describe the physical and chemical barriers that form the immune system’s first line of defence.
 Outline the role of white blood cells in the second line of defence.
 Describe the role of specialised white blood cells in the third line of defence, particularly in the production of memory cells
 Understand why antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections and the limitations of their use.
 Briefly describe how antibacterial resistance arises in bacteria and relates to the need for new antibiotics.
 Briefly describe how vaccines can provide artificial immunity.
 Describe how community immunisation programs can be used to produce herd immunity.
 Explain why it is important to maintain immunisation programs in the general community.
Year 9 Biology Test: Content descriptors