Homeostasis Research Paper

646 Words3 Pages

Homeostasis is a very important property of organisms that occurs constantly in our bodies and is necessary to life. Homeostasis is defined as “the ability to maintain a constant internal environment in response to environmental changes.” To maintain homeostasis, the body goes through several steps. First, a stimulus causes a change in the body’s internal environment. The receptor senses the change and responds to the stimulus. The afferent pathway then carries the information to the control center. The control center determines how to respond and sends information to the effector through the efferent pathway. The effector responds to the original stimulus in order to maintain homeostasis. Homeostasis is maintained through positive and negative feedback mechanisms. Negative feedback is the most common type of feedback. It reduces the effect of the stimulus in order to return to a balanced internal environment. One example is sweating to reduce body temperature. Positive feedback is the opposite of negative feedback, as it increases the effect of the stimulus. Blood clotting and child birth are the most common examples of positive feedback. Homeostasis is a very important process when it comes to exercising. When people exercise, they are upsetting the homeostatic …show more content…

Core body temperature is normally 98.6° Fahrenheit. Body temperature is controlled through negative feedback mechanisms. Exercise causes a rise in body temperature. This is because your muscles need energy to do work. They obtain this energy by burning fats and carbohydrates in a series of chemical reactions which produce heat. As muscles generate heat during exercise, blood is also warmed which creates a rise in core temperature. Homeostasis responds to this parameter through sweat. When sweat is evaporated from the skin, it cools down the body and returns the temperature back to