homeostasis

Examples of homeostasis in the following topics:

• Homeostatic Process

  • The varied processes by which the body regulates its internal environment are collectively referred to as homeostasis.
  • Homeostasis, in a general sense, refers to stability, balance, or equilibrium.
  • This ongoing process continually works to restore and maintain homeostasis.
  • The ultimate goal of homeostasis is the maintenance of equilibrium around the set point.
  • An example of how homeostasis is achieved by controlling blood sugar levels after a meal.

• Control of Homeostasis

  • Homeostasis is maintained by negative feedback loops within the organism.
  • Homeostasis is controlled by the nervous and endocrine systems in mammals.
  • Negative feedback loops are the predominant mechanism used in homeostasis.
  • Homeostasis is performed so the body can maintain its internal set point.
  • Discuss the ways in which the body maintains homeostasis and provide examples of each mechanism

• Properties of Life

  • Key characteristics or functions of living beings are order, stimuli, reproduction, growth/development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy.
  • All living organisms share several key characteristics or functions: order, sensitivity or response to the environment, reproduction, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing.
  • Organisms are able to maintain internal conditions within a narrow range almost constantly, despite environmental changes, through homeostasis (literally, "steady state")—the ability of an organism to maintain constant internal conditions.
  • Adaptations help organisms survive in their ecological niches, and adaptive traits may be structural, behavioral, or physiological; as such, adaptations frequently involve other properties of organisms such as homeostasis, reproduction, and growth and development.

• The Role of Blood in the Body

  • The many roles of blood include delivering nutrients and oxygen to cells, transporting waste from cells, and maintaining homeostasis.
  • Blood plays an important role in regulating the body's systems and maintaining homeostasis.

• Homeostasis: Thermoregulation

  • Internal thermoregulation contributes to animal's ability to maintain homeostasis within a certain range of temperatures.
  • It is the opposite of a homeotherm, an organism which maintains thermal homeostasis.

• Food Energy and ATP

  • Animals need food to obtain energy and maintain homeostasis.
  • Homeostasis is the ability of a system to maintain a stable internal environment even in the face of external changes to the environment.

• Hormone Functions

  • Hormones serve as chemical "messengers" that function in cellular and organ activity to maintain the body's homeostasis.
  • Maintaining homeostasis within the body requires the coordination of many different systems and organs.

• Introduction to Osmoregulation

  • Osmoregulation balances concentrations of solutes and water across semi-permeable membranes, maintaining homeostasis.
  • The body's organs and tissues are immersed in fluid at a constant temperature, pH, and solute concentration, each of which contributes to maintaining the body's homeostasis.
  • Osmotic homeostasis is maintained despite the influence of external factors such as temperature, diet, and weather conditions.

• Hormonal Regulation of Stress

  • Stressors are stimuli that disrupt homeostasis.
  • The sympathetic division of the vertebrate autonomic nervous system has evolved the fight-or-flight response to counter stress-induced disruptions of homeostasis.

• Water’s Heat of Vaporization

  • In many living organisms, including humans, the evaporation of sweat, which is 90 percent water, allows the organism to cool so that homeostasis of body temperature can be maintained.