Concept of Homeostasis Homeostasis can be defined as the process of maintaining biologically stable conditions inside a living organism through

physiological processes. This involves maintaining internal environment parameters at a constant level or between narrow limits, including parameters such as blood pH, water potential, oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations, and blood glucose and body temperature. A stable internal environment must be maintained, even if there are sudden changes in external conditions. In unicellular organisms, the process involves relatively simple steps. Oxygen, nutrients, waste products and other materials are exchanged directly with the external environment across cellular boundaries. For higher organisms, it is a very complex process. As an example, when a person goes out in winter, his body s perception of cold leads to a se!uence of events that involve different hormones, and different types of tissues, such as nerve cells, muscle cells and endocrine cells. In an effort to maintain a constant body temperature, the body reacts by increasing the production of heat. Homeostasis involves both sensors and effectors. "hysiological processes involved in homeostasis allow plants and animals to function under varied environmental conditions. These processes involved tissues #epithelial, connective, muscle and nerve$, organs and organ systems. Organs systems are sometimes controlled internally but normally they are controlled by external systems. The nervous system #nerve impulses$ and the endocrine systems #hormones$ are the ma%or external control systems that regulate the activities of organs and organ systems. There are two types of biological feedbac&' positive and negative. (egative feedbac& turns off the stimulus that caused it in the first place. )our house s heater #or cooler for those of us in the *un +elt$ acts on the principle of negative feedbac&. ,hen your house cools off below the temperature set by your thermostat, the heater is turned on to warm air until the temperature is at or above what the thermostat is set at. The thermostat detects this rise in temperature and sends a signal to shut off the heater, allowing the house to cool

of until the heater is turned on yet again and the cycle #or loop$ continues. "ositive feedbac& causes an amplification of the stimulus by the reaction.