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Physiology
How you are put together and
how you stay alive!
Definitions
• Anatomy
– Deals with structures
or morphology
• Physiology
– Deals with functions of
structures
– i.e., making urine,
contraction of heart,
digesting food
Levels of Organization
How you stay alive
• Maintain homeostasis
– Maintain a stable internal environment.
– Keep the internal environment relatively
stable.
– Emphasis is on extracellular fluid that
surrounds cells.
– Homeostatic mechanisms maintain
homeostasis.
Our Internal Environment
Homeostatic Mechanisms
• Components of homeostatic systems:
– Receptors
• Provide information about internal environment
– Control center
• Has a set point
– Effectors
• Always a muscle or gland
Homeostatic Control System
Homeostatic Mechanisms
• The idea:
– Maintain relatively constant internal
environment!
– Receptor measures change in int. environ as
a deviation from the set point.
– Effectors are activated and return conditions
to normal.
– Deviation lessens and effectors are turned off.
Maintaining Room Temp
Maintaining Body Temp
Maintaining Glucose
in the Blood