DIABLO VALLEY COLLEGE – BIOSC 140 Name_________________________________

PREPARATORY REPORT EXERCISE (PRE) BRAINSTORMING QUESTIONs

Background:
Note that these are not ALL of the important things to consider, but certainly are some of the more important aspects to
look at when writing up your report. There should be other components to your report though – if it looks like it is related, it
more than likely is. Also note there are some general videos on writing up experiments for Fox 1.3, 8.4 and 2.1 that may
be helpful). These are just SOME (there may be more!) of the key physiological principles to consider discussing.

Fox 1.3A. Negative Feedback Control of Water-Bath Temperature

• Thermoregulation (homeostasis). Compare water bath to human thermoregulation. Good/bad model? Why?
Sensors, integrators, effectors? Mechanisms of thermoregulation? Why is thermoregulation important? What
happens when body temp is not regulated (diseases)?

Fox 1.3B. Resting Pulse Rate: Negative Feedback Control and Normal Range
• Blood pressure homeostasis. Is heart rate (HR) homeostatically controlled (are there sensors for HR?), or is it
used to control blood pressure? What does it contribute to blood pressure (BP) homeostasis? How does the data
illustrate set point, dynamic equilibrium, antagonistic control? How does exercise affect HR? Why? How is this
related to BP control? Why is BP control important? What happens when BP is not regulated (diseases)?

Fox 8.4A. Ability of Buffers to Stabilize the pH of Solutions

• Blood pH homeostasis (sensors, integrators, effectors). What buffers exist in human physiology? Why are these
important? What happens when blood pH is not regulated (diseases)? What are the sources of acid in the human
body? What are the sources of bases in the human body?

Fox 8.4B. Effect of Exercise on the Rate of CO2 Production

• Metabolism (CO2 production) CO2 (acid/base) balance. How does exercise affect rate of CO 2 production? Why?
How does the body sense these changes in CO2 levels? Where is this information integrated? What are the
responses what effectors carry out these responses? Blood pH homeostasis. How do CO2 levels affect blood pH?
How are these changes detected? What are the responses? How is the respiratory system involved? Why is
regulating CO2 levels important? What happens when CO2 levels are not regulated (diseases)?

Fox 8.4C. Role of Carbon Dioxide in the Regulation of Ventilation

• Respiratory physiology, blood pH homeostasis. What are hyper and hypo ventilation? How do these affect CO 2
levels? How does this affect blood pH? How are changes in CO 2 levels and blood pH sensed? Where is this
information integrated? What are the responses and what effectors carry out these responses? Why is regulating
CO2 levels and blood pH important? What happens when CO2 levels and blood pH are not regulated (diseases)?

Fox 2.1A. Carbohydrates: Measurement of Plasma Glucose Concentration

Fox 2.1B. Lipids: Measurement of Plasma Cholesterol Concentration
Fox 2.1C. Proteins: Measurement of Plasma Protein Concentration
• Plasma homeostasis. What are the sensors, integrators, and effectors for homeostatic control of
carbohydrates/lipids/proteins? What is a normal level? Why is that substance important in the body in general?
What happens when you have abnormally high/low concentrations of carbohydrates/lipids/proteins? What might
cause this? Why is regulating plasma levels of carbohydrates/lipids/proteins important? What happens when of
carbohydrate/lipid/protein levels are not regulated (diseases)?