Lesson One: Thermoregulation

In the same way, our body regulates the internal environment so that we function at our peak performance. Our body regulates:
- temperature
- pH (already learned about cabonic acid, H+ and bicarbonate ions)
- Oxygen and Carbon dioxide
- Blood glucose
- Water balance
HOMEOSTASIS
- homeo = same; stasis = standing

- There is the nervous system and the endocrine system

Nervous system is made up of the CNS (brain and spine) and the Peripheral nervous system (neurons…everywhere else) . This deals mostly with temperature.
Endocrine system is a system of glands that produce and secret hormones…but we’ll talk about that in a bit. The regulation of glucose levels is regulated by this system.


First, we’ll talk about temperature. There are two types of feed back systems, positive and negative. This isn’t to say that one is better than another, but each does something different.

Negative loop:
Temperature increases, body notices, decreases temperature by a number of ways, the temperature decreases below the set point, so the brain responds by increasing the temperature

Negative : The body does the opposit to keep the body in balance

Positive: The body augments the signal... ie/ Contractions at birth

Thermoregulation examples
too hot
- Vasodilation (skin arterioles)
- sweating
- decreasing metabolism (any reaction produces heat… ATP production, breaking down of glucose)
- behavioural adaptation (bathing(birds), throwing dust(elephants), urinating on legs (camel), dog panting)

too cold
- vasoconstriciton
- shivering
- increasing metablolism
- fluffing of hair or feathers (trap more air…like a down jacket)
- thick layer of brown fat or blubber
- special structure hair. (polar bear with hollow hair and absorb UV light)

- blood circulating around the body will distribute heat.




temperature falls below normal,b