SB8.

2p

Thermoregulation

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

Thermoregulation is the control of body temperature.

Body temperature changes due to changes inside the

body, and due to changes in temperature outside the
body.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

Changes inside and

outside the body are
monitored by the
hypothalamus in the
brain.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

How does the hypothalamus

monitor changes in internal
body temperature?

By monitoring blood
temperature.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

How does the hypothalamus

monitor changes in
temperature outside the
body?

It receives information
from receptors in the
skin that detect the
temperature of the
surroundings.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

Body temperature too high

If body temperature rises too high (above about 37.5 °C),
the hypothalamus triggers responses in the skin.

Sweat glands
in the skin
dermis release
watery sweat More blood
on to the skin’s flows through
surface the capillaries
(epidermis). in the dermis.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

How do sweating and increased blood flow in the dermis

help the body to transfer more energy to the surroundings,
and help body temperature decrease?
Evaporation of sweat requires
energy, which is transferred to Energy is more
the water from the skin surface. easily transferred
This reduces to the
the skin surroundings
temperature. from blood
flowing
nearer to the
skin.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

Body temperature too low

If body temperature falls too low (below about 36.5 °C), the
hypothalamus triggers responses in the skin.
Hair erector
Sweat muscles
glands stop contract,
producing raising body
watery hair.
sweat.

Blood flow through the

dermis is reduced.
© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

How do reduced blood flow in the dermis, raised body hair

and not sweating help prevent energy transfer from the
body to the surroundings?
Raised body hair reduces air movement across skin, acting
as insulation. (More effective in
mammals with more hair.)

Energy is not Warm blood is

as easily kept deeper in
transferred the skin,
away from dry reducing the
skin. rate of energy
transfer to
surroundings.
© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

When body temperature is too low, the hypothalamus

triggers rapid repeated contractions in large muscles,
causing shivering.

How does shivering help raise body temperature?

Muscle contraction requires energy from respiration. Some
of the energy released from respiration is transferred to
tissues and blood, causing heating.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

Explain why the rate of blood flow near the skin’s surface
changes as body temperature changes.

Vasodilation (widening) of Vasoconstriction

small arteries allows more (narrowing) of small
blood to flow through the arteries reduces blood flow
skin capillaries. through the skin capillaries.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

Negative feedback
Thermoregulation is an example of negative feedback.

responses cause
body hypothalamus detects rise body temperature
temperature and triggers responses to fall
rises

normal body normal body

temperature temperature

body
temperature responses cause
hypothalamus detects falls
falls body temperature
and triggers responses
to rise

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.
 SB8.2p Thermoregulation

Why is thermoregulation an example of negative feedback?

A change in temperature causes the opposite change to

happen. This keeps temperature at a particular set level.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2019. Copying permitted for purchasing institutions only. This material is not copyright free.