Homeostasis

• Homeostasis


  Balancing of the conditions inside the body so everything is as constant as possible
• Homeostasis is important to respond to changes in the internal/external environment to maintain optimum conditions for cellular enzymes as enzymes only work best at specific conditions (temperature/ph)
• Internal conditions controlled by homeostasis

  • Body temperature
  • Water content of the body
  • Blood glucose concentration
• Homeostasis involves coordination and control of changes in temperature or sunlight (external environment) and exercise, food, hot weather (internal environment)
• Detecting changes involves automatic control systems that use nervous responses in the nervous system and chemical responses in the hormone system
• Homeostasis also involves other organs
• Control systems


  • Receptors
  • Coordination centres
  • Effectors
• Receptors


  Cells that detect changes in internal or external environment
• Coordination centres


  • Receive and process information from receptors
  • Send signals and coordinate responses of the body
• Effectors


  Muscles or glands that bring about responses to the stimulus that has been received
• These responses restore conditions in the body to homeostasis