401002 Bioscience 1: Homeostasis and Regulation of Body Temperature

This assignment explores the concept of homeostasis and the body's ability to maintain a stable internal environment, even amidst changing conditions. It emphasizes the importance of homeostasis for the proper functioning of physiological processes, including the regulation of body temperature. The assignment details the role of the hypothalamus, the thermoregulatory center in the brain, in maintaining homeostasis. It explains the negative feedback loop and how the body responds to temperature variations through mechanisms such as vasoconstriction, sweat gland deactivation, and increased metabolic activity. The assignment also highlights the role of the skeletal muscles in generating heat. The content is supported by a reference to Marieb & Hoehn (2018), providing a solid foundation for understanding the biological processes involved in maintaining a constant body temperature and overall health.

Running head: HOMEOSTASIS AND REGULATION OF BODY TEMPERATURE 1
Homeostasis and Regulation of Body Temperature
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

HOMEOSTASIS AND REGULATION OF BODY TEMPERATURE 2
Homeostasis is the ability of the body to maintain a stable internal state even when
changes are occurring within the body system. It is a self regulating, biological process that
helps the body to achieve a state of stability and constancy. The human body is a dynamic
system, many chemical, physiological, and biological reactions take place within the body
every second, so a balance or stability factor is required to ensure proper effectivity of the
human body. Homeostasis is essential for the appropriate functioning of all the physiological
processes occurring within the body. It helps in balancing the water and salt balance on the
body and also regulate constant body temperature(Marieb & Hoehn, 2018).
Maintaining constant and optimal body temperature is very crucial for the body to
ensure the proper functioning of the enzymes. Extreme heat or cold would denature the
proteins present in the enzymes involved in the physiological processes and lose their
effectiveness. The hypothalamus of the brain is included in the regulation of body
temperature and maintenance of homeostasis by controlling the blood pressure.
For maintaining homeostasis, some factors are required such as stimulus which
brings about a change within a variable; receptors are involved in the detection of the change
by responding to the stimuli; the control centers accept the signals from the receptor,
effectors, on the other hand, receives the information from the control center and bring
about the response. Regulation of body temperature is achieved by the negative feedback
loop, which helps to maintain a constant value. Whenever there is a variation in the body
temperature, the homeostatic system automatically initiates a corrective mechanism that
reverses the change occurred and helps in the conservation of the original body
temperature(Marieb & Hoehn, 2018). The body temperature is controlled by the
thermoregulatory centres called the hypothalamus, which consists of thermoreceptors. When
the stimulus senses that body temperature is decreased or low, it sends signals to the brain
where the thermoreceptors accept the signals, thereby turns off the warming mechanism of

HOMEOSTASIS AND REGULATION OF BODY TEMPERATURE 3
the hypothalamus and activates the heat conversion centre. The smooth muscles in the heart,
along with the blood vessels present in the skin, undergoes vasoconstriction, thereby
preventing heat loss from the body. The sweat glands are deactivated so that no sweat is
produced. The metabolic activity of the tissue is also increased, which raises body
temperature through the generation of heat. The skeletal muscles undergo alternating
contraction and relaxation, thus generating heat by friction. All these mechanisms together
help to attain a normal and balanced body temperature.

HOMEOSTASIS AND REGULATION OF BODY TEMPERATURE 4
REFERENCE
Marieb, E., & Hoehn, K. (2018). Human anatomy & physiology.