Responding to a rise in body temperature

• • When temperature receptors detect that the core body temperature is too high, they send impulses to the thermoregulatory centre which acts as a coordination centre
• • Thermoregulatory centre processes the information from the temperature receptors and triggers the effectors automatically
• • Effectors produce a response that increases the amount of heat lost from the body and the body cools down
• Negative feedback system

  • Optimum body temperature
  • Rise in body temperature
  • Receptors detect change
  • Thermoregulatory centre receives and processes the information, then sends impulses to effectors
  • effectors respond
• Responses that reduce core body temperature:

  1. Hairs on the skin lie flat. Means less air is trapped near surface of skin, so there isn't a layer of insulating air surrounding the skin

  • Allows heat to be transferred to environment more easily
• 2. Sweat is produced by sweat glands. When sweat evaporates from the skin, it transfers energy to the environment, helping to reduce body temperature
• 3. Blood vessels supplying the skin capillaries dilate (get wider) so more blood flows closer to the surface of the skin.

  • This is called vasodilation
  • It helps transfer energy from the skin to the environment
• What is vasodilation?

  Expansion of blood vessels.