Homeostasis refers to the steady-state of physical and chemical conditions maintained by living organisms necessary for their survival.
In 1865, a French physiologist, Claude Bernard, first introduced the concept of homeostasis in the body. However, it was later popularized by Walter Bradford Cannon in 1926.
Homeostasis is derived from two ancient Greek words pronounced as homoios and histemi, which mean combined respectively translates to similar and standing still.
Homeostasis is the tendency or ability of a cell or the whole body to maintain and seek an equilibrium condition irrespective of its external environment.
Homeostasis biology can be explained as a living organism’s skill of staying within range against fluctuations in the environment.
This helps the organism to stabilize and sustain itself on Earth.
The homeostatic systems in the body have a specific way of functioning, and the biological systems in your body are pushed away constantly from equilibrium. For example, if you are exercising, your muscles will increase the heat production of your body. In turn, this will increase your body’s temperature.
Likewise, your blood glucose level goes up when you drink fruit juice.
There are three components that help in regulating homeostasis in our body. These are as follows:
1. Receptors
They receive information regarding your body’s status. Receptors perceive and monitor the changes in both the external and internal environment. They are present as sensory nerve terminals which receive the stimulus. After that, they send an appropriate response by producing nerve impulses as per the extent, absence/presence, and type of stimulation.
2. Control Centers
This area is also called the integration center. Control centers receive and process the information provided by the receptors. The renin-angiotensin system and the respiratory center are some examples of control centers.
3. Effectors
They respond to the information processed and passed by the control centers. This would help the body to either oppose the change or enhance it to maintain equilibrium. The gland or muscle are examples of effectors at an organ or tissue level. Whereas at a cellular level, nuclear receptors are an example of effectors.
Some of the common factors that can impact homeostasis are as follows:
1. What is the best way to describe homeostasis?
Homeostasis is a self regulating process that all living organisms use for maintaining internal and external stability while adjusting to the internal or external environment to survive themselves.
2. Which part of the body controls homeostasis?
The central nervous system and endocrine system of the body are the two major control systems that help in regulating homeostasis.
3. What are five examples of homeostasis?
The five examples of homeostasis in the body are as follows:
We hope you enjoyed studying this lesson and learned something cool about Homeostasis! Join our Discord community to get any questions you may have answered and to engage with other students just like you! Don't forget to download our App to experience our fun, VR classrooms - we promise, it makes studying much more fun! 😎