Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
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1. Extend the organizational chart below to briefly describe the components of the central and
peripheral nervous systems.
Neurons are cells which can carry rapid electrical impulses.
2. Draw a simple diagram of a motor neuron (nerve cell), including:
Cell body, nucleus, dendrites, axon, terminal branches, motor end plates, myelin sheaths, Nodes of
Ranvier and the direction of the nerve impulse.
3. The diagram below shows a typical reflex arc. Name the labeled structures and state the
processes taking place at 1, 2 and 3.
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
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Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
4. Define resting potential.
5. Define action potential.
6. Complete the diagram below to show why the resting potential of a neuron is negative.
7. Define depolarization.
8. Define repolarisation.
9. Complete the table below to compare action potentials and resting potentials:
Also known as…
Resting potential
Action potential
____-polarisation
___- polarisation
Internal potential is… (positive/ negative)
Sodium ions are…
Potassium ions are…
Membrane proteins used
(voltage-gated sodium channels or sodium potassium pump?)
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
10. Annotate the graph below to explain what is happening in each stage of an action potential (AP).
Include the movement of ions into and out of the cell and how this occurs.
11. What is the importance of the refractory period in propagation of an action potential?
12. What is the importance of these membrane proteins in nerve impulses?
Sodium-potassium pump
Sodium channel
Potassium channel
13. In a nerve impulse, what happens at the site following the highest point of the action
potential?
A.
Voltage-gated sodium ion channels open and Na+ is pumped in.
B.
Voltage-gated sodium ion channels open and Na+ diffuses out.
C.
Voltage-gated potassium ion channels open and K+ is pumped out.
D. Voltage-gated potassium ion channels open and K+ diffuses out.
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
14. Define synapse.
When an AP reaches the terminal end of a neuron, it is converted from an electrical signal to a chemical
message for synaptic transmission.
15. What form does this ‘chemical message’ take?
16. Complete the summary of synaptic transmission below:
17. Neurotrasmitters are specific to their receptors.
What does this mean?
18. Some drugs act as competitive inhibitors to neurotransmitters.
What would be the effect of this?
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
19. What are the roles of the following components of the endocrine system?
Glands
Hormones
Target tissues
20. The endocrine system is responsible for hormone-mediated communication within the body.
Which endocrine glands are mostly responsible for:
Control of blood sugar
Control of body temperature
Control of water levels in blood
Initiation of puberty
Production of sex cells
21. Draw a simple flow chart to show how the endocrine system functions based on stimulus,
hormone secretion and negative feedback control.
22. Define homeostasis.
23. List five factors that are maintained through homeostasis.
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
24. Complete the flow chart below to show how the hypothalamus controls body temperature
through hormones. What are the body’s responses?
25. The sense of taste is normally caused by the stimulation of chemoreceptors in the taste
buds of the tongue. There are four main 'tastes': sweet, salty, bitter and sour. The tongue
also has receptors for temperature. It is known that the taste of food can vary according
to whether it is cold, warm or hot. Scientists discovered that just warming or cooling parts
of the tongue, even when no food was present, also caused a sensation of taste.
Scientists experimented with a group of people. They gradually cooled the tips of their
tongues and measured the intensity of the taste felt by each member of the group. The
experiment was repeated, this time warming the tip of the tongue. The graphs show the
average values for the group.
Cooling the tongue tip
Warming the tongue tip
Taste intensity felt
/ arbitrary units
moderate
weak
just
detectable
35 25 35 20 35 15 35 10 35 5 20 25
Decrease in temperature from 35 ºC
Key:
Salty
Bitter
20 30
20 35
20 40
Increase in temperature from 20 ºC
Sweet
Sour
[Source: modified from Cruz and Green, Nature (2003) 403, page 889]
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
(a)
Identify which taste was felt most strongly when the tip of the tongue was
(i)
cooled............................................................................................................
(ii)
warmed..........................................................................................................
(1)
(b)
Compare the effects on the taste of sweetness, of warming and cooling the tip of the
tongue.
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
(2)
(c)
It is important that such experiments use a population sample that is representative.
Suggest two biological criteria the scientists would have used to select the people to
be tested.
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
(1)
(d)
Explain whether cooling or warming the tip of the tongue has the greater effect on
the sensation of taste.
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
(2)
Continued…
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
The scientists discovered that there were two types of chemoreceptor in the tongue tip. They
called these A and B. They tested these chemoreceptors using solutions of sucrose to find
out the type of taste and the intensity felt. The results are shown in the bar chart.
moderate
weak
Taste intensity felt
/ arbitrary units
just detectable
sweet detected
Key:
(e)
sour detected
A
B
Compare the effects of sucrose on the A and B chemoreceptors by giving two
similarities and two differences.
Similarities........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
Differences.......................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
(4)
(Total 10 marks)
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
26. Blood glucose levels are maintained by hormones produced in the pancreas.
Complete the table to show glucoregulation.
The pancreas contains…
High Blood Sugar
Low Blood Sugar
___________________ cells…
___________________ cells…
…which secrete…
… carried in blood to….
&
… causing conversion of..
… to …
Overall effect:
Glucose removed from blood
Glucose released into blood
27. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which regulation of blood glucose is difficult.
There are two types of diabetes (Type I and Type II)
Distinguish between them in terms of action, age of onset and risk factors.
Type I:
Type II:
28. How can we tell from this table that the patient has diabetes?
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 06.5: Nerves, Hormones and Homeostasis
29. Distinguish between nerves and hormones.
Nerves
Route
Direct from coordinator to effector
Hormones
Through:
From:
To:
Signal type
Chemical
Time to take action
longer
Duration of effects
30. In which part of the brain are nerve impulses converted to hormonal signals?
31. Complete the steps below to show how the nervous and endocrine systems work together to
regulate body temperature.
Stimulus:
Sensory neurons:
Relay:
Effector:
Hormone 1:
Gland:
Target cells:
Effect: release of thyroid hormone
Target cells:
Effect:
Stephen Taylor
Bandung International School
http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com