BIOLOGY-

HOMEOTASIS
Nur Hasliana Fatiha bt Hasfarizal
Meaning of Homeostasis
The tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its
internal conditions, usually by a system of feedback
controls, so as to stabilize health and functioning,
regardless of the outside changing conditions
 System Involved With
Homeostasis in Human And
Plants
Fluid matrix of the body (fluid volume regulation, osmoregulation)
Gas exchange with the environment (regulation of airway resistance and the
pulmonary circulation)
Ingestion and digestion of nutrients (regulation of the gastrointestinal tract, control
of energy balance)
 Transport of gases, nutrients and other substances throughout the body to supply organs,
including the brain to maintain consciousness (regulation of blood flow and blood pressure
by the cardiovascular regulation)
Excretion of substances (disposal of waste)
Body temperature (thermoregulation)
Reproductive behavior (mechanics of sexual organs)
Defensive behaviors
Body recovery (control of circadian rhythms, of sleep and wakefulness)
Development and maintenance of body organs and tissues
Body protection at the cellular and systems level (regulation of inflammatory processes,
control of the immune system)
 Regulation Of Water
Content In The Body
On average, body water can account for 50% of
the total human body weight and it is
significantly higher in newborns. Obesity
decreases the percentage of water in the body.
 Regulation of body
temperature
The human body has the remarkable capacity for regulating its core temperature
somewhere between 98F and 100F when the ambient temperature is between
approximately 68F and 130F according to Guyton. This presumes a nude body and
dry air.
Under control of these mechanisms, sweating
begins almost precisely at a skin temperature of
37C and increases rapidly as the skin
temperature rises above this value
 Homeostasis in the animal

Snakes and other reptiles are ectotherms, which means that they have no internal means of
regulating metabolic function. In cold weather, snakes tend to be sluggish as their metabolisms
slow down, whereas in warm weather they tend to eat more and move more quickly. Ectothermic
animals dont get their energy from caloric intake the way warm-blooded animals, or
endotherms, do. This allows ectotherms the survival advantage of being able to go longer
without meals.
 System involved with
homeostasis in plants
Guard cells in the plants prevent water loss from it in cases of soil dryness
or high temperature by closing themselves.
If this does not happen, water will keep leaving the plant by the process of
transpiration in these harsh conditions and the plant will not have the
important medium for the homeostasis process to continue.
 transpiration
Transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant
and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and
flowers. Water is necessary for plants but only a small amount of
water taken up by the roots is used for growth and metabolism
 Transpiration is important
for plants
Transpiration is essential in the life of land plants. It helps in the absorption of carbondioxide
(CO J from the atmosphere during photosynthesis as the openings of stomata in day time
facilitate
The leaves absorb the radiant energy. Some of the light energy is utilised in photosynthesis, rest
is converted into heat energy resulting in an increase in leaf temperature. However, rapid loss of
water in the form of water vapour from the aerial parts of the plant through transpiration brings
down their temperature. Transpiration thus provides a significant cooling effect which keeps the
plant from being over heated. gaseous exchange.
 Mineral salts remain dissolved in the soil water and are absorbed by the roots. Minerals that arc
absorbed and accumulated in the xylem duct of the root move up and are distributed in the
plant by the transpiration stream.
The absorbed water is transported from roots to leaves through the xylem vessels which is
greatly influenced by transpiration pull. Water loss due to transpiration results in the
development of low water potential in the leaf tissues. Thus water moves from the xylem vessels
to the leaf cells and helps in the ascent of sap.
Greater amount of transpiration helps in the development of mechanical tissues in plants. The
plants become healthier and more compact the cell walls become thick and cutinized and the
plants are able to resist the attack of fun and bacteria.
Transpiration maintains an optimum degree of turgor in cells.
Under favourable conditions plants absorb excess amount of water,
which is given off by transpiration to maintain the optimum turgor
for better growth.

The solutes inside the cell become more concentrated when

transpiration is rapid the concentration of sugar solution in the
cells of fruits increases and fruits taste sweeter.
 Transpiration occur in
plants
Water moves from the soil into plant roots, up through the stem and into the leaves. The water,
warmed by the sun, turns into vapor (evaporates), and passes out through thousands of tiny
pores (stomata) mostly on the underside of the leaf surface. Leaf transpiration occurs through
stomata, and can be thought of as a necessary cost associated with the opening of the stomata
to allow the diffusion of carbon dioxide gas from the air for photosynthesis. A simple analogy
to help explain the act of transpiration is that a plant transpiring is like a human sweating.
Humans sweat by excreting water through pores to cool down. Similarly, a plant goes through
transpiration to help carry nutrients throughout the plant and to maintain structure.
 The structure and
function of stoma
The structure and function of Stomata - Pass My Exams_ Easy exam revision notes for GSCE Biology_files