Homeostasis

This is a photo of a baby bird. The baby bird demonstrates homeostasis. Homeostasis is any process that living things use to maintain stable conditions necessary for survival. When homeostasis is successful, this means survival; however, if homeostasis is unsuccessful then then disaster or death occurs. Homeostasis is a dynamic equilibrium meaning change is continuous. When the equilibrium is stable, then the biological system is balanced. When the equilibrium is disturbed then the system responds to establish a balance. One way to obtain this balance is by feedback control. There are two types of feedbacks, positive and negative. In positive feedback the output enhances the original stimulus; an example of positive feedback is blood clotting. In blood clotting, when a vessel is damaged, platelets cling to the injured site and release chemicals to attract more platelets until a clot is formed. Negative feedback change the variable back to its original state such as blood sugar control by insulin. When blood sugar rises, the pancreas secretes insulin in order to lower the blood sugar. This continues until the blood sugar level is reaches homeostasis. The biological system uses electrical circuits and hormones are examples of homeostatic regulation. The bird uses homeostasis to maintain a constant body temperature. If the bird feels overheated or under-heated, it uses homeostasis to maintain its constant body temperature. This also explains why birds fly South during the winter, to find warmer weather.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Homeostasis.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 
             16 Mar. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/homeostasis.
“Homeostasis.” Biology 100, austinlaulainen.weebly.com/homeostasis.html.