All organisms carry on similar activities called life processes.
Movement
Nutrition
Digestion
Transport
Respiration
Synthesis
Secretion
Growth and Development
Excretion
Homeostasis and Regulation
Reproduction
Notes: (* Notes and PowerPoints adapted from Shannan Muskopf's fantastic teaching resource: Biology Corner.)
Homeostasis and Feedback Mechanisms
Organisms are continually exposed to changes in their external and internal environments. To be healthy, organisms must maintain homeostasis, a “dynamic equilibrium” or “steady state,” which keeps their internal environment balanced within normal limits.
Failure to maintain homeostasis may result in disease or death. To maintain homeostasis, organisms use negative feedback mechanisms that detect changes from the set point, (the normal state) and trigger appropriate responses that return their body systems to the set point. |