Maintaining the Internal Environment
- The process of maintaining a constant internal environment is known as homeostasis
- Homeostasis ensures that conditions inside the body are kept within preset limits
- Homeostasis is critically important for organisms as it ensures the maintenance of optimal conditions for enzyme action and cell function
- Sensory cells can detect information about the conditions inside and outside the body; if conditions have changed then the body can respond to keep conditions constant
- Examples of physiological factors that are controlled by homeostasis in mammals include
- Core body temperature
- Blood pH
- Concentration of glucose in the blood
- Osmotic concentration of the blood