HOMEOSTASIS LAB
Biology
Teacher: Manar Al-Huneidi
Homeostasis and Exercise
Experimental question:
The question to be answered in this lab is “How does exercise affect a person’s heart rate,
breathing rate, and perspiration level?”
Prelab Questions:
Predict: Will your heart rate, breathing rate and perspiration level increase during
exercise?
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Background:
Exercise causes many factors of HOMEOSTASIS to maintain internal equilibrium. How
exercise affects some of these factors can be determined by measuring and observing certain
conditions of the human body. Some of these conditions are:
•
•
•
Heart rate
Breathing rate
Perspiration level
Materials and Methods:
1. Materials:
a. People to exercise
b. A clock or stop watch
2. Procedure:
a. Choose one volunteer to complete jumping jacks at a pace that can be maintained
for eight minutes. Make sure the volunteer is inactive for a few minutes before the
experiment begins.
b. Measure the heart rate by taking his or her pulse; you can do this one of two
ways:
i. Radial Pulse
ii. Carotid Pulse
c. Multiply the number of beats in 15 seconds by 4 to calculate the beats per minute.
Record the data in the table below the 0 minutes box.
d. Measure the person’s perspiration level from 0 to 5: (0 = none; 5 = droplets
dripping down the face). Note this observation in the table.
e. Have the volunteer do jumping jacks for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, measure the
heart rate, breathing rate, and perspiration level (refer to steps 2 through 5), and
record the data. Measure the pulse, breathing and perspiration levels as quickly as
you can so that the volunteer can resume exercise. Do not have volunteer wait
while you do the calculations and enter the data.
f. Repeat step e three more times (remember, 2 minutes each at a time, totaling 8
minutes) and record your data at each point.
After the final recording of the dependent variables, wait one minute with the volunteer at reset.
Then measure all of the variables again. Record this data under the “9 Time (Min.)
Data: Observation and Measurements During Exercise
Total Time
(Minutes)
0 – Prior to Exercise
2 Minutes
6 Minutes
8 Minutes
9 Minutes
Heart Rate
(Beats per minutes)
84
128
96
120
144
Breathing Rate
(Breaths per
Minute)
36
52
36
40
44
Perspiration Level
(Scale of 0 to 5)
0
0
1
2
2
Analyze and conclude:
What is Homeostasis?
The ability of an organism to maintain its internal environment, despite changes to its internal
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or external environment.
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Why does an increased breathing rate accompany exercise?
Breathing rate increases to provide the body (exercising muscles) with oxygen at a higher rate.
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your body uses more oxygen and produces more carbon dioxide.
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Why does an increased heart rate accompany exercise?
the heart rate and depth of breathing increases to supply muscles with more oxygen.
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Why do you think a change in body temperature occurs?
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Body heat is increased with exercise because your body is being active, your heart rate is
increasing, and the result is your body will sweat which is our way of cooling the body.
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Your body uses which mechanisms to maintain a constant body temperature?
sweat
glands, these glands bring that water, along with the body's salt, to the surface of the skin as sweat.
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Once
on
the surface, the water evaporates. Water evaporating from the skin cools the body, keeping its
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temperature in a healthy range