4 Homesostasis SHORTER Version

What is Homeostasis?
Homeostasis – maintenance of a constant

internal environment
• Homeostasis makes sure organisms have
the correct levels of many components,
mainly:
Temperature Water Oxygen
Carbon
Glucose pH
dioxide
Homeostasis
This means that internal conditions within your body such as;
temperature,
blood pressure,
water concentration,
glucose concentration…
…need to be kept within set limits in order to ensure that
reactions in body cells can function and therefore the organism
as a whole can live.
When one of these conditions deviates far away from the normal
if not brought back within set limits the body will not function
properly and the eventual consequence without medical
intervention will be death.
Most homeostatic mechanisms in the body are controlled by a

process known as negative feedback 
Homeostasis
Negative Feedback
•Negative feedback occurs when conditions change

from the ideal or set point and returns conditions
to this set point.
•It works in the following way:

• if the level of something rises, control systems
are switched on to reduce it again
• if the level of something falls, control systems
are switched on to raise it again
•Negative feedback mechanisms are usually a

continuous cycle of bringing levels down and then
bringing them back up so that overall, they stay
within a narrow range of what is considered
Negative feedback
But it´s a positive thing ;-)

Homeostasis
The Skin & Homeostasis
•The human body maintains the temperature at which enzymes

work best, around 37°C
•Why?
•If body temperature increases over this temperature, enzymes

will denature and become less effective at catalysing reactions
such a respiration. Lets look at the SKIN:
Homeostasis
Regulating Temperature: Basics
Regulation is controlled by the brain which contains receptors cells sensitive to the
temperature of the blood.
The skin also has temperature receptor cells and sends nervous impulses to the brain.
The brain responds to this information by sending nerve impulses to the skin to maintain
the temperature within a narrow range of the optimum, 37°C.
Fatty tissue under the dermis acts as a layer of insulation to prevent too much body heat
being lost through the skin
hypothalamus
Homeostasis
Homeostasis
Vaso-dilation:
•When we are hot blood flow in capillaries
increases because blood vessels to the skin get
wider – this is known as vasodilation
•This cools the body as blood (which carries heat
around the body) is flowing at a faster rate through
the skin’s surface and so more heat is lost by
radiation
Vaso-constriction:
•When we are cold blood flow in
capillaries slows down because
arterioles leading to the skin get
narrower – this is known
as vasoconstriction
•This reduces the amount of heat
lost from blood by radiation as
less blood flows through the surface
of the skin
In hot conditions, skin arterioles In cold conditions, skin arterioles
are dilated, sphincter muscles are are constricted, sphincter muscles
relaxed and shunt vessels are are contracted and shunt vessels
constricted; blood flow to the skin are dilated; blood flow to the
capillaries is increased skin capillaries is decreased
Temperature control in newborns
Sayid has a baby sister. Samira was born premature and is
too young to control her temperature. An incubator helps to
control her temperature, using negative feedback.
The air around Samira is kept at 32 °C. Why is it not keep

at 37 °C?
13 of 40 © Boardworks Ltd 2007

Homeostasis simulations:
https://ats.doit.wisc.edu/biology/ap/ho/t1_a1.htm needs flash
https://pbslm-contrib.s3.amazonaws.com/WGBH/conv16/conv16-int-bcc/in
dex.html
This is cool, they can do it on their own devices
What is blood glucose?
Glucose is a type of sugar used
by the body to provide energy.
Sometimes there is too much

glucose in the blood, and
sometimes there is not enough.
What affects the level of blood

glucose?
 Eating causes blood glucose levels to rise.
 Vigorous exercise causes blood glucose levels to fall.
How does the body regulate blood glucose levels?

Controlling blood glucose
Between meals, blood glucose levels are topped up from
stored deposits in the liver and muscles.
After a meal, blood glucose rises but quickly returns to

normal. Where does the excess go? Why not leave it in
the blood?
Excess glucose makes the blood plasma and

tissue fluid around cells too concentrated.
This can severely damage cells, for example,
causing crenation in red blood cells.
However, low blood sugar levels can be

equally as dangerous, as it can make cells
swell up and burst. This is called lysis.

Homeostasis
Control of Blood Glucose Levels
Blood glucose levels are controlled by a negative feedback

mechanism involving the production of two hormones –
insulin and glucagon
Both hormones
which control blood
glucose
concentration are
made in
the pancreas.
TOPIC LINK THINK: What

else doe sthe pancreas do?
Homeostasis
Insulin is produced when blood glucose rises and stimulates liver and muscle cells to
convert excess glucose into glycogen to be stored.
Glucagon is produced when blood glucose falls and stimulates liver and muscle cells to
convert stored glycogen into glucose to be released into the blood.
The pancreas and blood glucose
Blood glucose levels are pancreas
monitored and controlled
by the pancreas.
GCSE Bi
The pancreas produces ology - Co
ntrol of Bl
and releases different ood Gluco
hormones depending on se Conce
ntration #
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ube
 Insulin is released when blood glucose levels are

high – the liver stores excess glucose as glycogen.
 Glucagon is released when blood glucose levels are

low – the liver converts stored glycogen into glucose
and releases it into the blood.
Card Sort Actvity
How was treatment for Diabetes
developed?
Is there any chance of a cure?

https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/why/human-health/insulin-for-diab
etes/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TYx4_d1lYs
Can animal-
free research
be the future
of medical
science?
https://researchoutreach.org/articles/
animal-free-research-future-medical-
“All in all, it
was found
that in total,
only about
10% of
animal
research
was useful.”
https://researchoutreach.org/articles/
animal-free-research-future-medical-
Homeostasis –
Regulating Water Content in the Blood
Osmoregulation is the process of maintaining

water and salt concentrations (osmotic balance)
across membranes within the body
Why is this SOOOOOOOO important?

Homeostasis
Homeostasis
•The cytoplasm of all cells is largely composed of water, as is
the blood plasma.
•Maintaining water levels in the body is vital to prevent harmful

changes occurring to cells of the body as a result of osmosis.
•If body cells lose or gain too much water by osmosis they do not
function efficiently:
• Too much water in the blood results in cells swelling as
water moves into them, this has a diluting effect and can
lead to cell lysis (bursting)
• Too little water in the blood (or too high an ion
concentration) and the cells lose water by osmosis, this has a
dehydrating effect and can lead to cell death
Homeostasis –
Water content of the body
Can you suggest two sources of water in the body:

• Water produced as a result of aerobic
respiration
• Water in the diet
Can you suggest how water is lost from the body?

• Via the lungs during exhalation (breathing out)
•Lost from the skin as sweat, urine, faeces
Suggest how this can be
controlled:
• Water lost through the lungs
or skin cannot be
controlled, but the volume of
water lost in the production of
urine can be controlled by
Dehydration and its causes
Just a 1% decrease in body weight due to water loss is
enough to cause mild dehydration.
Mild dehydration can cause dizziness, a dry mouth and
concentrated urine. Severe dehydration can cause death.
What causes dehydration?
 heavy sweating
 low water intake
 eating salty food
 breathing dry air
 caffeine and alcohol
 diarrhoea.

Whose urine is it?
Normal diet Has been exercising but

Drunk plenty not drunk anything
of water
1. Read carefully
through the info
provided.
2. Tell me what
your learnt.
3. Hightlight
relevant parts.
4. Tell me again
5. Draw diagrams
to represent what
you read.
6. Tell me again!
Alcohol Effects
Alcohol suppresses ADH
production by the pituitary
Without ADH, higher amounts of

water stay in the urine
Urine with high concentrations of

water leaves the body
answers
1. The failure of homeostatic regulation in just

one body system will cause conditions to
deteriorate and it may be fatal. For the health
of an organism, all homeostatic regulation
mechanisms must function properly.
2. Homeostasis typically involves negative
feedback loops that counteract changes of
various properties from their target values,
known as set points.
3. Thermoregulation and glucoregulation
2. What process allows organisms to maintain
homeostasis? Describe how it works.
Negative
Feedback!!
summary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKT47A-LBj4

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What is Homeostasis?

Homeostasis – maintenance of a constant

Most homeostatic mechanisms in the body are controlled by a

•Negative feedback occurs when conditions change

•It works in the following way:

•Negative feedback mechanisms are usually a

But it´s a positive thing ;-)

•The human body maintains the temperature at which enzymes

•If body temperature increases over this temperature, enzymes

The air around Samira is kept at 32 °C. Why is it not keep

13 of 40 © Boardworks Ltd 2007

Sometimes there is too much

What affects the level of blood

How does the body regulate blood glucose levels?

15 of 40 © Boardworks Ltd 2007

After a meal, blood glucose rises but quickly returns to

Excess glucose makes the blood plasma and

However, low blood sugar levels can be

16 of 40 © Boardworks Ltd 2007

Blood glucose levels are controlled by a negative feedback

TOPIC LINK THINK: What

 Insulin is released when blood glucose levels are

 Glucagon is released when blood glucose levels are

Is there any chance of a cure?

Osmoregulation is the process of maintaining

Why is this SOOOOOOOO important?

•Maintaining water levels in the body is vital to prevent harmful

Can you suggest two sources of water in the body:

Can you suggest how water is lost from the body?

28 of 40 © Boardworks Ltd 2007

Normal diet Has been exercising but

Without ADH, higher amounts of

Urine with high concentrations of

1. The failure of homeostatic regulation in just

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