Study Guide for Homeostasis Unit
Vocabulary words you will know by the end of this unit:
Dynamic equilibrium
External environment
Respond
Homeostatic feedback mechanism
Normal state
Death
Immune system
Virus
Cancer
Microbes
Cancerous cell
Inheritance
Organ malfunction
Response to stimuli
Respiratory rate
Guard cells
Energy
Internal environment
Homeostasis
Steady state
Corrective actions
Infectious agent
Antigens
Fungi
White blood cells
Viral disease
Allergic reactions
Toxic
Personal behavior
Feedback mechanism
Insulin
Stomata
Biochemical processes
Monitor
Dynamic equilibrium
Deviations
Disease
Antibody
Pathogenic
Parasite
Engulf
AIDS
Transplanted
Nutrition
Diagnosing
Heart rate
Pancreas
Rate of water loss
Major Understandings (what you will know by the end of this unit):
• Hormonal feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis in the human body(constant, stable, internal
environment)
o FSH, estrogen, LH, and progesterone regulate the menstrual cycle in women
• Hormones are specific messenger molecules that travel through the blood and attach to receptor
proteins on the surface of target cells to tell them some sort of information
• Diabetes is a disease that is due to the under-secretion of insulin by the pancreas, which lowers the
level of glucose in the blood
o Insulin is a hormone
• The kidneys regulate urine composition and water balance in the blood by filtering and reabsorbing
molecules
o Sweating is excretion that is involved in maintaining body temperature for homeostasis
• All organs and systems in the human body help maintain homeostasis
o Endocrine system – produces hormones to regulate chemical levels and cell responses
o Nervous system – involves the nerves, spinal cord, and brain controlling muscle movements
 nervous system and endocrine system allow cells within multicellular organisms to
communicate and coordinate their actions
o Circulatory system- carries oxygen and CO2 to all cells
 moves plasma and cells to all regions of the body through the blood vessels, while the
lymphatic system moves water and small molecules to each individual cell
o Excretory system – regulates water balance and waste composition
o Respiratory system – helps regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels
o Digestive system – helps regulate nutrient levels
o Immune system – removes disease causing pathogens
• White blood cells fight pathogens in the body
• Antibodies are proteins produced by white blood cells in the human body that attach to invading
pathogens and clump them together – the antibodies tag them as foreign to the body
o Antigens are pathogens that the body recognizes as foreign to the body
o Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins that bind to the antigens and tag them for destruction by white
blood cells
• Viruses attach to specific receptor proteins to gain entry and infect a cell
•
•
•
•
Vaccines are weakened forms of pathogens, or a protein from the pathogen’s surface
o Vaccines stimulate an immune response so the body recognizes the pathogen quicker when there
is an actual infection and this helps prevent sickness
AIDS is a disease caused by the HIV virus
o The virus infects white blood cells known as lymphocytes, causing them to not do their job.
o People with AIDS get opportunistic infections
When a person gets an organ transplant, the cells of the implanted organ are recognized as foreign
invading cells by the recipients immune system
o Immunosuppressant drugs are used to keep the new body from rejecting the organ, but they
make the person more susceptible to disease
Stomates maintain homeostasis in plant leaves by regulating gas exchange and water loss
o Stomates are openings on the lower surface of a plant leaf
o 2 Guard cells control the opening and closing of each stomata
Expected Homework, Class work, Labs, and Quizzes (subject to change if needed)
When the assignment is given write the due date on the side. Place a check mark
next to the assignments you have competed and handed in to keep yourself organized. To
achieve the highest grade possible you must have all of the assignments turned in. Labs
and Tests are always worth the most points.
Due Date
Assignment
Body Systems & Homeostasis notes
Keeping the Body in Balance Worksheet
The Need for Homeostasis reading & questions
Review Book Questions
Homeostasis Quiz
Disease as a Failure of Homoeostasis Notes
Cancer Worksheet
Preventing Infectious Disease Packet
HIV Transmission Lab
Homeostasis and Illness Review packet (Organs
Transplants)
Disease Project
M&M Homeostasis Lab
Test
Completed and
Handed-In