Homeostasis

Students should be able to explain that homeostasis is the regulation of the internal conditions of a cell or organism to maintain optimum conditions for function in response to internal and external changes.

Homeostasis maintains optimal conditions for enzyme action and all cell functions.

In the human body, these include control of:

• blood glucose concentration
• body temperature
• water levels.

These automatic control systems may involve nervous responses or chemical responses.

All control systems include:

• cells called receptors, which detect stimuli (changes in the environment)
• coordination centres (such as the brain, spinal cord and pancreas) that receive and process information from receptors
• effectors, muscles or glands, which bring about responses which restore optimum levels.