Body Systems and Homeostasis
Key facts about digestion, circulation, respiration, and negative feedback control.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
What is homeostasis?
Maintaining a stable internal environment (temperature, glucose, water, pH) within a narrow range despite external change.
Mechanical vs. chemical digestion
Mechanical digestion (chewing, stomach churning) increases surface area; chemical digestion uses enzymes to break chemical bonds.
Which enzyme in the mouth and what does it do?
Salivary amylase breaks starch down into maltose.
Why are villi well adapted for absorption?
Large surface area, one-cell-thick wall (short diffusion distance), and capillaries plus a lacteal to keep a steep concentration gradient.
Trace blood from the body back to the body through the heart
Body → vena cava → right atrium → right ventricle → pulmonary artery → lungs → pulmonary vein → left atrium → left ventricle → aorta → body.
Which two vessels are the 'exceptions' examiners love?
The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood and the pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood; arteries are defined by carrying blood away from the heart.
Why does the left ventricle have the thickest wall?
It must pump blood at high pressure all the way around the whole body.
Write the equation for aerobic respiration
C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + energy (ATP).
What are the three parts of a negative feedback loop?
Receptor detects the change, control centre processes it, effector responds to reverse the change.
How do insulin and glucagon differ?
Insulin (pancreas) lowers high blood glucose by storing it as glycogen; glucagon raises low glucose by breaking glycogen back down.
