thermoregulation

• What is homeostasis?


  Homeostasis keeps all of the body's internal conditions relatively constant
• What is the normal human body temperature?

  37 degrees Celsius
• How is body temperature monitored and controlled?

  By the brain, specifically the thermo regulatory center
• What does the thermo regulatory center contain?


  Receptors sensitive to the temperature of the blood
• What role do temperature receptors in the skin play?

  They send electrical impulses via sensory neurons to the thermo regulatory center
• What happens when body temperature gets too high?

  The body sweats to cool down
• How does sweating help cool the body down?

  Evaporation of sweat takes energy from the body, cooling it down
• What is vasodilation?

  It is the widening of blood vessels supplying the capillaries
• How does vasodilation affect blood flow and temperature regulation?

  More blood flows through the capillaries, allowing heat to transfer out of the blood
• What happens when body temperature drops too low?

  Blood vessels supplying the capillaries constrict
• What is vasoconstriction?

  It is the narrowing of blood vessels supplying the capillaries
• What is one way the body generates heat when temperature drops?

  By shivering, which contracts skeletal muscles
• How does shivering warm the body?

  It increases the rate of respiration in muscle cells, releasing heat
• What happens to sweating when body temperature falls too low?

  The body stops sweating
• What is the overall process of temperature regulation in the body?


  • The thermo regulatory center detects temperature changes.
  • If temperature is too high:
  • Sweat glands produce sweat.
  • Blood vessels dilate (vasodilation).
  • If temperature is too low:
  • Blood vessels constrict (vasoconstriction).
  • Shivering occurs to generate heat.
  • Sweating stops.
• How does the control of body temperature exemplify homeostasis?

  The body responds to temperature changes to restore normal conditions