NICOLAS TABORA KIM

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.

• Body temperature – is maintained at a fairly constant 37 degrees centigrade – mainly to ensure

optimum temp for enzymes to work best, and to prevent cell damage.

• 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.

When the body is too hot

SUMMARY

- Muscles relaxes and hairs on

the skin lie flat. Less air is trap.

- Sweat evaporates from the

skin surface.

- More blood will come in to the

capillaries as the arterioles
supplying it dilate.

- Blood is brought to the surface

in order to lose heat.

- More sweat is made by the

gland as the arterioles supplying
it dilate.

When the body is too cold

When the body is too cold

SUMMARY
- Erector muscles contract so
that hairs on the skin stand up.
Making warm air insulated.

- Arterioles in the skin constrict

so that not much blood flows.

- Arterioles supply less blood to

the capillaries, leaving them
narrow.

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.

3. List the ways our bodies may lose heat.

i) Muscles relaxes and hairs on the skin lie flat so less warm air is trapped.

ii) Blood is brought to the surface in order to lose heat.

iii) Sweat evaporates from the skin surface, losing heat in the process.

4. Explain the importance of a constant body temperature:

• 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.