Homeostasis
Homeostasis literally means "same state" and it refers to the process of keeping the internal body environment in a steady state (Scott, 2004). Thus, homeostasis is a key element of species survival especially via regulation of its body temperature. This is true for all living beings since radical changes in their bodily temperature can bring about sickness or even death. "Animals that maintain a fairly constant body temperature (birds and mammals) are called homeotherms
Bats and hummingbirds reduce their set point every day while they are inactive. They have a high surface area: volume ratio, so this reduces heat loss. (also spelt homoiotherms); while those that have a variable body temperature (all others) are called poikilotherms. Chemicals called pyrogens released by white blood cells raise the set point of the thermoregulatory centre causing the whole body temperature to increase by 2-3 C. Homeostasis is nature's way of ensuring that living things adapt or enable themselves to cope with their environmental conditions. Homeostasis has something to do with the thermoregulatory mechanism of a species' body. Some mammals release hormones that reduce their set point to around 5C while they hibernate. In humans temperature homeostasis is controlled by the thermoregulatory centre in the hypothalamus. (Scott, 2004)" The hypothalamus serves as the human body's regulatory system that balances body heat and maintain optimum condition depending upon climactic or weather conditions. When the change is too much to handle, the species dies or gets disease. When sudden atmospheric and environmental change occurs, the homeostatic process kicks in to enable the species' body to manage the change. This is already considered a radical event.
Common topics in this essay:
,
Fever Chemicals,
Torpor Bats,
body temperature,
scott 2004,
thermoregulatory centre,
reduce set,
species' body,
|
Acceptance Essays
