how does the thermoregulatory system work to monitor body temperature?
body temperature is monitored ad controlled by the thermoregulatory centre in the brain. the thermoregulatory centre contains receptors sensitive to the temperature of the blood.
the skin contains temperature receptors and sends nervous impulses to the thermoregulatory centre
what happens when body temperature is too high?
if body temperature is too high, the hairs lie flat, blood vessels dilate (vasodilation) and sweat is produced from the sweat glands to evaporate from the skin. both these mechanisms cause a transfer of energy from the skin to the environment
what happens when body temperature is too low?
if body temperature is too low, blood vessels constrict to close off the blood supply (vasoconstriction), hair stands up on end to trap an insulating layer of air, sweating stops and skeletal muscles contract (shivering). shivering requires respiration which transfers energy to warm the body.
the body must be kept around 37*C to maintain the optimum temperature for enzyme activity
how does negative feedback work?
temperature receptors detect that core body temperature is too high or too low
the thermoregulatory centre acts as a coordination centre and receives information from the temperature receptors and triggers the effectors immediately
effectors such as sweat glands for when it is too hot or muscles when it is too cold produce a response which counteracts the change.
the body must balance the amount of energy gained and lost to keep the core body temperature constant
