Transcript File

How does your body
work to maintain
equilibrium in all of its
cells? Homeostasis
Negative and Positive feedback systems in the
human body
(Adapted from Lesson By Karyn
Coulon)
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
What is homeostasis?


Process that occurs in all
living things
All organ systems work
together to achieve
homeostasis

Ability of an organism to
maintain its internal
environment, despite
changes to its internal or
external environment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tightrope_artist_Cologne_1.jpg
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
How does homeostasis work?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_12_stage-02_1988.jpg
Feedback pathways

A cellular relay race!

Specific organs and
structures must
communicate with each
other in response to
changes in the body
Keeps levels of certain
processes within a
normal range
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.

Control
Center
(Integration
Center) –
compares
conditions
to set point
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.

Positive
Feedback:



Response from
effector reinforces
or exaggerates
the stimulus
Very rare
Negative
Feedback:

Response from
effector decreases
or inhibits stimulus
How is a home heating system
an example of a feedback loop?

One example of a feedback system is a thermostat connected
to a furnace. The thermostat compares the temperature of the
air in the room to a pre-determined setting. If the temperature in
the room is below that ideal setting, the thermostat signals the
furnace to send warmer air into the room. When the air in the
room becomes warmer than the desired temperature, the
thermostat stops signaling the furnace. The furnace switches
off. If the air in the room grows cool again, the furnace switches
on. The cycle repeats indefinitely, as information about the
system’s status is constantly fed back into the system. Because
of their cyclical nature, feedback systems are often referred to
as feedback loops.
Identify the following
components in a home heating
system:





Receptor:
Stimulus:
Integrating center:
Effector:
Response:
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
Identify the following
components in a home heating
system:





Receptor: Sensors in thermostat
Stimulus: Heat
Integrating center: Thermostat
Effector: Furnace
Response: Furnace turned on to produce
heat OR turned off
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
What things in your body need to be
kept within a range?






Body Temperature
Blood pressure
Blood pH
O2 and CO2 concentration
Osmoregulation-Water balance
Blood glucose
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
Homeostasis Flowcharts

Flowchart must include:







Stimulus
Receptor
Set Point
Integrating Center
Effector
Response
Type of Feedback (Positive or Negative)
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
Cellular Relay Race





Stimulus
Receptor
Integrating
center
Effector
Response

Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
Reverses the
stimulus
Why is feedback important in
living things?

Allows baseline to be
regained

Conserves resources


Cellular Materials
Energy (ATP)
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
mouth
Stomach
Sm. Intestine
Circulatory Runners
Target cellsBrain
Target cellsMuscle
Target cellsLiver
Pancreas
ß-cells
Game set-up
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pictgram_running_man.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Archery_Target_80cm.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Llave_bronce.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day-template.svg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icon_announcer.svg
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach. Copyright 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College.
mouth
Stomach
Sm. Intestine
Circulatory Runners
Target cellsBrain
Target cellsMuscle
Target cellsLiver
“Glucose!! Release the insulin!”
Pancreas
ß-cells
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach. Copyright 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Lots of glucose
circulating, so
Pancreas calls out
for insulin
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pictgram_running_man.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Archery_Target_80cm.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Llave_bronce.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day-template.svg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icon_announcer.svg
mouth
Stomach
Sm. Intestine
Circulatory Runners
Target cellsBrain
Target cellsMuscle
Target cellsLiver
“Glucose!! Release the insulin!”
Pancreas
ß-cells
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach. Copyright 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Insulin has been
passed to the target
cells. Targets can
now receive
glucose.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pictgram_running_man.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Archery_Target_80cm.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Llave_bronce.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day-template.svg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icon_announcer.svg
mouth
Stomach
Sm. Intestine
Circulatory Runners
Target cellsBrain
Target cellsMuscle
Target cellsLiver
“Hold insulin production”
Pancreas
ß-cells
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach. Copyright 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Pancreas stops
insulin from being
passed once
there is no more
glucose
circulating
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pictgram_running_man.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Archery_Target_80cm.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Llave_bronce.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day-template.svg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icon_announcer.svg
Dueling Hormones
What goes up, must come down!



Insulin
Produced by -cells
of the Pancreas
Released into
circulatory system
when blood glucose is
high
Facilitates the
transport of glucose
into target cells
Glucagon



Produced by -cells
of the pancreas
Released into the
circulatory system
when blood glucose is
low
Signals the liver to
break down glycogen
into simple glucose
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
Dueling Mechanisms
What goes up, must come down!
Thermoregulation
Sweating (cooling) vs. shivering (warming)
Blood Pressure
Vasconstriction vs. vasodilation
Osmoregulation
Hypotonic vs. hypertonic
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.
Food for thought…

On average, how many organ systems are
involved in each of the processes we’ve
explored?

Are there any organ systems that you see in
all of these processes?

What might happen to these pathways if just
one system was not functioning properly?
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Copyright 2009 President and Fellows
of Harvard College.