1. Explain how steady state conditions are maintained using an example of the hu
ID: 165150 • Letter: 1
Question
1. Explain how steady state conditions are maintained using an example of the human body to guide your answer.
2. Explain how digestion and absorption in a gastrovascular cavity differs from digestion and absorption of nutrients in an alimentary canal.
3. How do vertebrate circulatory systems differ in structure and efficiency? Use the amphibian, fish, and mammal system for your comparison.
4. Describe the structure of the human heart; explain the movement of blood flow through the heart, lungs, and body. Your answer should be specific.
5. How does the direction of blood flow, blood pressure, total area, and flow velocity differ between arteries, capillaries, and veins? How is the variation adaptive?
6 Explain how innate immunity differs from adaptive immunity.
Explanation / Answer
Answer-Question 1
Homeostasis or Keeping steady state ,is a phenomenon in which the body regulates its processes to keep the internal conditions as stable as possible. Homeostasis is needed because the cells with in the living body need to have suitable conditions around them for regular functioning. To understand the concept of homeostasis (keeping steady state) a little better, consider the following example in the humans:
Maintaining normal steady state of blood pH balance
The body controls the amounts of acids and bases in the blood. When high amount of acidic compounds are consumed and body fails to eliminate those then the amount of acidic compound in the blood increases, body acidity also increases. When the number of alkaline compounds in the blood increases, body alkalinity increases. But the human body alwayws tries to keep the acid base balance i.e; pH at slightly alkaline state
(pH 7.4). The kidneys and lungs, along with buffer systems, help control acid-base balance.The kidneys excrete excess acids and bases through urine. The lungs control pH levels by excreting carbon dioxide. Buffer systems prevent sudden changes in acidity and alkalinity. These systems consist of weak acids and weak bases that occur naturally in the human body. The pH of the extracellular fluids (which includes the blood plasma) is regulated by adjusting the ratio of the concentration of carbonic acid (H2CO3) to that of the bicarbonate ions (HCO3) to equal 1:20. This ratio and its relationship to the pH is described by the Henderson–Hasselbalch equation
pH=pKa(H2CO3)+ log10 [HCO-3]/[H2CO3]
the carbonic acid concentration is directly proportional to the PCO2 in the extracellular fluid, so the equation can be rewritten as
pH=pKa(H2CO3)+ log10 [HCO-3]/.0307*PCO2
when the PCO2 rises and the plasma pH falls, The sensor is on the surface of the medulla oblongata of the brain stem acts on the effector organs (the muscles of respiration) which are stimulated via motor nerves to breathe faster and more deeply.Changes in the rate and depth of breathing can change the pH of the arterial plasma within a few seconds.
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