Gen. Vicente Alvarez St.

, Zamboanga City
Senior High School Unit
Local nos. (062) 991 – 4277, (062) 991 – 1676, Telefax: 992 – 3045

Name: _____________________________________ Date Submitted: ______________

Grade & Section: ___________________

WEEK 6: Organismal Biology

WORKSHEET
GENERAL INSTRUCTION:
1. Answer the items below to the best of your ability. PLAGIRIZED RESPONSES ARE CONSIDERED WRONG.
2. Make use of BLUE font color for your answers.
3. Submit the PDF file of your paper on or before the set time due in your Google classroom.

1. (a) Define the term homeostasis.

Homeostasis is a condition in which the organism's internal steady state is regulated in order for it to respond to
internal and external changes. Homeostasis is a feedback-based self-adjusting system in which the reaction to a
stimulus changes internal conditions and may create a new stimulus.
(b) Give two examples of homeostasis taking place in the human body.
Human body temperature regulation is an example of homeostasis in a biological process. The typical body
temperature in humans is 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), although several circumstances, such as
exposure, hormones, metabolic rate, and sickness, can cause extremely high or low temperatures. The
hypothalamus, a brain area that regulates body temperature, is in charge of this. The neurological system sends
feedback regarding body temperature to the brain, which causes compensatory alterations in breathing rate, blood
sugar level, and metabolic rate. Another example of homeostasis in our body is Potassium Homeostasis. In the
face of potentially large changes in dietary potassium consumption, potassium homeostasis refers to the regulation
of total body potassium content and plasma potassium levels within restricted ranges. It involves two processes
running at the same time: external and internal.
2. Homeostasis involves negative feedback. Briefly describe how this feedback is important to achieve homeostasis.
Negative feedback is critical because it allows the body to stabilize itself. If the body is exposed to a high
temperature, for example, it will initiate a cooling process to reduce the temperature. However, if the body's
temperature drops too low, the heating process kicks in to raise the temperature. Inside the body, equilibrium is
achieved.
3. The principles of homeostasis involve the following components. Briefly explain the role of each component.
(a) Stimulus – It is the change from ideal or resting conditions it is a measurable change (physical or chemical) in
an organism's environment that causes some functional activity.

(b) Receptor - It is the cells or tissue that recognizes the stimulus-induced change. Its job is to detect any
deviation from normal caused by the stimulus and transmit this information to the control center, typically the
brain, through signals.

(c) Self-regulatory corrective mechanism - It contains negative feedbacks that counteract the stimulus, causing it
to shift direction and the variable it changed to return to normal. Its job is to keep physiological conditions in
check by keeping them at a constant point or value and correcting them when they deviate.

4. Describe how the blood glucose concentration is regulated to achieve homeostasis in the human body in the
following conditions.
(a) Intake of carbohydrate-rich diet
The concentration of glucose in a person's blood rises when they consume a carbohydrate-rich diet. The cells in
the pancreas detect this change in concentration and produce insulin into the bloodstream, allowing glucose to
enter the cells and be used for energy. Insulin then alerts the liver to a rise in blood glucose levels, causing it to
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absorb extra glucose from the bloodstream and convert it to glycogen, a store molecule for later use. This aids in
lowering blood glucose levels until they reach a specified point and return to normal.
(b) During starvation
The concentration of glucose in a person's blood drops when they are hungry or haven't eaten in a long time. The
cells in the pancreas sense the difference in concentration and produce glucagon into the bloodstream. Glucagon
alerts the liver to a drop in blood glucose concentration and encourages it to convert glycogen to glucose and
release it into the bloodstream, thereby raising blood glucose levels until they reach a specific point and return to
normal. To conserve the limited glucose supply, glucagon induces the liver and some cells to generate glucose
from building blocks obtained from other substances within the body.

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