Introduction To Physiology and Homeostasis

Human Physiology – From Cells to Systems | 9e
Lauralee Sherwood
1
Physiology and Homeostasis
Prof. Walid Hleihel

Dr. Perla Gerges
© Cengage Learning 2016 Dr. Tania Bitar
2016. All Rights Reserved.
What’s Physiology?
• The study of the functions of living things
– Focuses on the mechanisms of body

processes
Structure and function are inseparable
– Closely related to anatomy (study of the body

structure)
© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Levels of Organization in the Body
• The body is structurally organized into a

total functional unit
– Chemical
– Cellular
– Tissue
– Organ
– System

Examples
(a) Chemical level
A molecule in the membrane that encloses a cell
(b) Cellular level

A cell in the stomach lining
(c) Tissue level

Layers of tissue in the stomach wall
(d) Organ level

The stomach
(e) Body system level

The digestive system
(f) Organism level:

The whole body

The Chemical Level
• Various atoms and molecules make up the

body
– Atoms
Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen
– Molecules of life
Nucleic acids (genetic material: DNA & RNA),
proteins, carbohydrates, and fats

The Cell
• Cells are the basic units of life
– Have basic and specialized functions

Basic Cell Functions
• Obtaining food and O2

• Performing energy-generating
• Chemical reactions
• Eliminating wastes
• Synthesizing proteins and cell components
• Moving materials throughout the cell
• Responding to the environment
• Reproducing
Specialized Cell Functions
• Secrete digestive enzymes that break

down ingested food
• Retain and eliminate substances
• Produce intracellular movement
• Generate and transmit electrical impulses
that relay information

The Tissue
• Group of cells with a similar structure and

specialization
• 4 primary tissues
– Muscle tissue: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth
– Nervous tissue: initiate and transmit electrical impulses
– Epithelial tissue: exchange materials between the cell

and environment
– Connective tissue: connects, supports, and anchors

various body parts

The Organ
• An organ is a unit made up of several

tissue types
– Consists of 2 or more types of primary tissue
organized to perform particular functions

Example of organ
The stomach:
• Lined with epithelial tissue
• Wall contains smooth muscle and nervous tissues
• Connective tissue binds various tissues together

The stomach
Organ made up of the 4 primary tissue types
Organ:
Body structure that integrates different tissues
and carries out a specific function
Stomach
Epithelial tissue Connective tissue Muscle tissue Nervous tissue

protection, secretion, structural support movement communication,
absorption coordination,
control

The Body System
• Collection of organs that performs related

functions
– Organs interact to accomplish a common

activity essential for survival

Components of the Body Systems (11)
Circulatory system Digestive system Respiratory system Urinary system Skeletal system Muscular system
heart, blood vessels, mouth, pharynx, nose, pharynx, larynx, kidneys, ureters, bones, cartilage, skeletal muscles
blood esophagus, stomach, trachea, bronchi, lungs urinary bladder, joints
small intestine, large urethra
intestine, salivary
glands, exocrine
pancreas, liver,
gallbladder

Components of the Body Systems
intestine, salivary
glands, exocrine
pancreas, liver,
gallbladder

intestine, salivary
glands, exocrine
pancreas, liver,
gallbladder

intestine, salivary
glands, exocrine
pancreas, liver,
gallbladder

intestine, salivary
glands, exocrine
pancreas, liver,
gallbladder

intestine, salivary
glands, exocrine
pancreas, liver,
gallbladder

Integumentary Immune system Nervous system Endocrine Reproductive system

system lymph nodes, brain, spinal system all Male: testes, penis,
skin, hair, nails thymus, bone cord, peripheral hormone- prostate gland,
marrow, tonsils, nerves, and, not secreting seminal vesicles,
adenoids, spleen, shown, special tissues, including bulbourethral glands,
appendix, and, sense organs hypothalamus, associated ducts
not shown, pituitary, thyroid, Female: ovaries,
white blood adrenals, endocrine oviducts, uterus,
cells, pancreas, gonads, vagina, breasts
gut- kidneys, pineal,
associated thymus, and,
lymphoid not shown,
tissue, skin- parathyroids,
associated intestine, heart,
lymphoid skin, adipose
tissue tissue

lymphoid not shown,
tissue tissue

lymphoid not shown,
tissue tissue

lymphoid not shown,
tissue tissue

lymphoid not shown,
tissue tissue
The Organism
Systems are packaged into a functional

whole body
– Each system depends on the proper

functioning of other systems
– Many body processes depend on the
interaction among multiple systems

Body Systems Maintain Homeostasis
What’s Homeostasis ?
A dynamic, and stable state in the internal
environment
– Body cells can live and function only when the

Extracellular Fluid (ECF) is compatible with
their survival
• Chemical composition and physical state must be
maintained within narrow limits

Interdependence of
Cells, Body Systems, and Homeostasis
Homeostasis is essential
for the survival of cells
Body
systems
Make up
Cells

Interdependence of
Maintain
Body
systems Homeostasis
Make up
Cells

Interdependence of
Maintain
Body
systems Homeostasis
Is essential for
survival of
Make up
Cells
This relationship
serves as the foundation for physiology
Multicellular organism and Homeostasis
o Most cells are not in direct contact with the

surrounding external environment
o Life-sustaining exchanges are made

through the internal environment

The Internal Environment
• Our cells are in contact with a maintained

internal environment:
– Intracellular fluid (ICF): contained within all

body cells
– Extracellular fluid (ECF): outside the cells

• Plasma (fluid portion of blood)
• Interstitial fluid (surrounds and bathes the cells)

Components of the ECF
Components of the extracellular fluid (internal environment)
Extracellular fluid
Cell Interstitial fluid Plasma
Blood
vessel

Homeostatically Regulated Factors
• Concentration of:
– Nutrients
– O2 and CO2
– Waste products
– Water
– Salt
– Other electrolytes
• pH
• Volume and pressure
• Temperature
How Does the Control System
Maintain Homeostasis?
• To maintain homeostasis, the control
system must be able to:
– Detect deviations from normal

– Integrate this information with other
information
– Make adjustments to restore the factor to
normal

Classes of Homeostatic Control
Systems
• Intrinsic (local) controls
– Built into an organ
• Extrinsic (systemic) controls

– Initiated outside an organ to alter the organ’s
activity

Negative Feedback
• Opposes an initial change and is widely

used to maintain homeostasis
Example: controlling room temperature

(a) Components of a negative- feedback control system
Change in a controlled variable triggers a response that drives the variable

in the opposite direction of the initial change, thus opposing the change
Deviation in
controlled variable
(detected by)
Sensor
(informs)
Integrator
(negative
(sends instructions to) feedback
shuts off
system
Effector(s) responsible
for response)
(brings about)
Compensatory response
(results in)
Controlled variable *
restored to normal

(b) Negative-feedback control of room temperature
Fall in room
temperature below
set point
Deviation in Thermometer
controlled variable
(detected by)
Sensor Thermostat
(informs) (negative
feedback)
Furnace
Integrator
(negative
shuts off
system
Effector(s) Heat output
responsible
for response)
(brings about)
Increase in room *
Compensatory response temperature to set
point
(results in)
restored to normal

(c) Negative-feedback control of body temperature
Fall in body
temperature below
set point
Deviation in Temperature-
controlled variable monitoring nerve
cells
(detected by)
Temperature
Sensor control center
(informs)
(negative
feedback)
Skeletal muscles
Integrator (and other effectors)
(negative
shuts off
system Heat production
Effector(s) responsible through shivering and
for response) other means
(brings about)
Increase in body *
Compensatory response temperature to set
point
(results in)
restored to normal

Positive Feedback
– Amplifies an initial change

– Less common than negative feedback but is
important in some instances
• Example: childbirth (cf. endocrine system)

Disruptions in Homeostasis
• Can lead to illness and death
– Pathophysiology: abnormal functioning of the

body associated with disease
– When a homeostatic disruption becomes so

severe that it is no longer compatible with
survival, death results

Points to consider
• What factors must be homeostatically

maintained, and which body systems
contribute to maintaining each of these
factors?
• What are the components of a

homeostatic control system?
• Why is negative feedback important

physiologically?
Overview on our body systems

Body Systems:
Circulatory and Digestive
• Circulatory system (heart, blood vessels, and
blood)
– Transports materials from one part of the
body to another
• Digestive system
(mouth, esophagus,
stomach, intestines, and related organs)
– Breaks down food into small nutrient
molecules that can be absorbed

Body Systems:
Respiratory and Urinary
• Respiratory system (lungs and major airways)
– Gets O2 and eliminates CO2 to the external
environment
• Urinary system (kidneys and associated

structures)
– Removes excess water, salt, acid, and other
electrolytes from the plasma and eliminates
them in the urine

Body Systems:
Skeletal
• Skeletal system (bones and joints)
– Provides support and protection for soft
tissues and organs
– Serves as a storage reservoir for calcium
– Enables the body and its parts to move
– Bone marrow is the source of all blood cells

Body Systems:
Muscular and Integumentary
• Muscular system (skeletal muscles)
– Moves bones attached to skeletal muscles
• Voluntary movements range from fine motor skills
to powerful movements
– Generates heat and maintains body
temperature
• Integumentary system (skin and related
structures)
– Serves as an outer protective barrier
– Important in regulating body temperature
Body Systems:
Immune
• Immune system (white blood cells and
lymphoid organs)
– Defends against foreign invaders such as
bacteria and viruses and against body cells
that have become cancerous
– Helps in replacing injured or worn-out cells

Body Systems:
Nervous and Endocrine
• Nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves,
and sense organs)
– Controls and coordinates body activities that
require immediate responses
• Endocrine system (all hormone-secreting

glands)
– Regulates activities that require duration
rather than speed, such as growth

Body Systems:
Reproductive
• Reproductive system (male and female
gonads and related organs)
– Essential for preserving the species
– Not essential for homeostasis

Introduction To Physiology and Homeostasis

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Human Physiology – From Cells to Systems | 9e

Prof. Walid Hleihel

• The study of the functions of living things

– Focuses on the mechanisms of body

Structure and function are inseparable

– Closely related to anatomy (study of the body

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

• The body is structurally organized into a

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

(b) Cellular level

(c) Tissue level

(d) Organ level

(e) Body system level

(f) Organism level:

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

• Various atoms and molecules make up the

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

• Cells are the basic units of life

– Have basic and specialized functions

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

• Obtaining food and O2

• Secrete digestive enzymes that break

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

• Group of cells with a similar structure and

– Nervous tissue: initiate and transmit electrical impulses

– Epithelial tissue: exchange materials between the cell

– Connective tissue: connects, supports, and anchors

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

• An organ is a unit made up of several

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Epithelial tissue Connective tissue Muscle tissue Nervous tissue

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

• Collection of organs that performs related

– Organs interact to accomplish a common

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Integumentary Immune system Nervous system Endocrine Reproductive system

Integumentary Immune system Nervous system Endocrine Reproductive system

Integumentary Immune system Nervous system Endocrine Reproductive system

Integumentary Immune system Nervous system Endocrine Reproductive system

Integumentary Immune system Nervous system Endocrine Reproductive system

Systems are packaged into a functional

– Each system depends on the proper

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

– Body cells can live and function only when the

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

o Most cells are not in direct contact with the

o Life-sustaining exchanges are made

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

• Our cells are in contact with a maintained

– Intracellular fluid (ICF): contained within all

– Extracellular fluid (ECF): outside the cells

© Cengage Learning 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Cell Interstitial fluid Plasma