Homeostasis and Transport in Animals - Essay Example

Homeostasis and transport in animals College: Diagram of the primary structures of the heart Difference between the pulmonary and systemic circulation Pulmonary circulation is whereby the deoxygenated blood is transported from the heart to the lungs, and the blood rich in oxygen is transported back to the heart. However, the systematic distribution is whereby the blood rich in oxygen is transported from the heart to the body, and the deoxygenated blood is transported back to the heart. The structure and functions of the urinary system The kidney filters the blood and helps in the elimination of the waste materials from the body. The urinary system consists made up of the kidney, uterus, urinary bladder and the urethra. Ureters are tubules that transport the urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder. They have the smooth muscles that aid in the transportation of the urine. The urinary bladder is like a hollow sac that act as the storage for the urine. The urethra is a hallow that allows the urine outside the body. The structure of the urethra differs from one sex to the other. The functions of the circulatory system One of the functions of the circulatory system is a respiratory function. They transport oxygen to the body cells and tissues and also eliminate the carbon dioxide from the body cells and tissues. The circulatory system does the work of the transportation of nutrients to various tissues of the body. They also help in the elimination of the waste materials and the toxic substances that would otherwise poison the body when left to accumulate. Again circulatory system is one of the ways through which the hormones are transported and other cellular communication. Through the circulatory system, the body is protected from the diseases. Lastly, they supply heat to the body that cools and heats it. The structure and functions of the blood vessels Arterioles are small branches of the arteries directed to the capillaries. They dilate and constrict under the control of the sympathetic nerves so as to regulate the flow of the blood and pressure. Another blood vessel is the capillaries that are very narrow in diameter. Most of the body tissues and the organs are supplied by the capillaries that get blood from the arterioles to the venues. Their function is to ensure that the body tissues are supplied with the blood and removal of the waste materials. They facilitate the flow of the respiratory gasses. Venules are smaller than the capillaries. They receive blood from the capillaries and transport them to the veins. Venules transport blood from the capillaries into the veins so that they are returned back to the heart. Veins have thin and less elastic tissues. They also have valves that ensure that the blood flow in one direction. They carry deoxygenated blood except the pulmonary veins. Two diseases of the heart and two diseases of the blood Anemia is a condition whereby there is a low number of erythrocytes in the blood, or the number of the hemoglobin in the blood is low. It is a condition in the red blood cells. Another disorder is the leukopenia whereby the cells such monocytes, basophils, Neutrophils, among other low in the body. On the other hand, some of the heart failures are like Ischemic heart disease whereby there is a decrease in blood supply due to the narrowing of the coronary arteries. Another disorder is the cerebrovascular disease that mostly occurs as a result of the stroke or an accident whereby the blood cannot flow into the brain. The formation of lymphatic fluid Lymphatic fluid is formed in a case whereby the interstitial fluid in the interstices of the body collects in the lymph capillaries then channeled through the lymph capillaries then to via the lymph vessels to the lymph nodes. The fluids later mix with the blood in the subclavian vein either the right or the left. The interrelationship of the circulatory and lymphatic systems The lymphatic system and the circulatory system both play a crucial role in the transportation of substances in the body. The two systems work harmoniously to transport materials through the body. There is the percentage of the blood help in the formation of the lymph. That lymph again eliminates destroyed blood cells in the body. Again both the system produce fluid, the circulatory system produces blood, and the lymphatic system produces lymph. Both the lymph and the blood carry nutrients in them. Analysis of homeostasis in the human body there are very many complicated interactions that go on in the human body that the body has to maintain so as to allow the body system function regularly. Such communication ensures that the physical and the psychological processes are compensated for to ensure proper functioning of the body. There major organs of the body such as kidney, liver and the brain that play a significant role in maintaining the homeostasis balance. The liver does the metabolization of the toxic waste, and it also helps in the maintenance of the metabolism of the waste. The kidney helps in the maintenance of the blood sugar level in the body, reabsorption of useful substances back to the blood stream. Furthermore, it assists in sustaining and regulating the required Potential Hydrogen, salts and ions in the blood flow. However, there are cases whereby the body cannot maintain the right balance, a condition known as a homeostatic imbalance that can lead to death. Homeostatic imbalance can lead to heart failure, especially when the feedback mechanisms do not function appropriately. Apart from heart failure it can also lead to diabetes, dehydration of the body, gout among others. The process of excretion and its importance to the body Excretion is the process whereby the body eliminates the toxic substances, the waste materials, and those substances which are in excess and the body does not need them immediately. Excretion is important because it helps in maintaining the right percentage of the fluids in the body. When the waste substances are let to accumulate in the body, they become poisonous and dangerous to the body, and they can kill. Through the process of respiration, the respiratory system can function properly because the will be the removal of carbon dioxide from the body by exhalation. Osmoregulation and it’s essential to the human body Osmoregulation is a way of maintaining the homeostatic water level in the body constant through regulating the osmotic pressure in the body. Osmoregulation ensures that the fluid or the salts in the body cells is never too dilute nor too concentrated. The kidney in human body plays a key role in maintaining the osmoregulation in the body.one of the way of regulating water in the body is by removal of the urine. In the collecting duct of the kidney, the permeability of the walls of the collecting duct is increased under the influence of certain hormones such as antidiuretic and the aldosterone hormone. Sweating is also another way of regulating the water level in the body. N the other hand, losing water in the body can be controlled through series of activities in the body. At the initial stages, the hypothalamus detects that triggers the osmoreceptor cells to produce appropriate hormones like antidiuretic. Osmoregulation helps in cooling the body and also provides an aquatic environment for various cellular activities. The structures and functions of the skin The skin is one of the largest organs in the body made up of three main layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous layer. The epidermis is the outer layer of cells usually formed through cell division. The outer part is made of dead cells that are gradually replaced. The intermediate layer is the dermis. It is made up of connective tissues, elastic fibers, capillaries, the erector Pilli muscles, sweat glands and the hair follicles. The last and the final layer is the subcutaneous layer that is always the layer of fats. The skin protects the body against mechanical injury and dangerous substances like the ultraviolet rays. Skin also functions as a sensory organ. It also controls the body temperature. It produces vitamin D. lastly it prevents the moisture loss, therefore, is lubricating the body among other functions. Overheating or overcooling the body When the body overheats, it can lead to heat exhaustion and heatstroke usually associated with headache, nausea, burning sensation of the skin. Overheating also leads to dehydration of the body. Again overheating raises the temperature of the body thus may affect the normal functioning of the body due to the denature of certain enzymes in the body. On the same light, overcooling lowers the temperature of the body thus making enzymes inactive. The flow of blood through the heart The blood enters the heart through the inferior and the superior vena cava from the right auricles. The blood is deoxygenated. The auricle receives the blood from the right auricle into the right ventricle via the tricuspid valves. The tricuspid valves prevent the backflow of the blood by closing itself once the ventricles are full. The pulmonary veins drain the blood into the lungs into the left auricles. Components of blood and their functions One of the components of the blood is the red blood cells. red blood cells have a protein called hemoglobin which gives it its red color and also aids in the transportation of the oxygen into the body tissues and carbon dioxide away from the body tissues. It is also called erythrocytes. White Blood Cells have five major types, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Neutrophils, Eosinophil. They all work together to protect the body against diseases and pathogens. Plasma is the component of the blood with the highest composition. It is where the other blood cell gets attached. There are proteins suspended in the plasma such as albumin, antibodies among others. Most of the chemicals reaction in the body takes place in the plasma. Platelets are fewer in number. It produces a substance that help in the blood clotting thus prevent excess loss of blood when the tissues are injured. Discuss two diseases of the heart and two diseases of the blood Ischemic heart disease is a heart disease whereby the coronary arteries narrow leading to decrease in the supply of the blood in the heart. Another heart disease is the hypertensive heart disease that is as a result of high blood pressure. It can be brought by the tumor in the adrenalin glands, injury of the kidney and the damages in the blood vessels. On the other hand, the blood diseases are such as thrombocytopenia whereby the number of thrombocytes or the platelets are few in the blood. Another one is leukopenia whereby cell like lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophil are few in the blood. The structure and functions of the lymphatic system The structure of the lymphatic system is made up of three major components these are, the lymph, the lymphatic vessels, and the lymphoid tissues. Lymphatic vessels absorb fluids that diffuse into the blood capillaries. There is a vein that is located near the heart where the fluids are directed into the lymph nodes. Very many smaller lymphatic capillaries come back together to form the lymphatic vessels. Lymphatic vessels form the lymphatic trunks that also merge to form the lymph duct. Lymphatic nodes help in the transportation of the lymph to lymph nodes. The function of the lymph node is to transport the waste that have been formed in the tissues, and they also aid in the transportation of the dead cells. The primary gland in the lymph vessels is the Thymus whose function is to initiate the formation of the cells and the immune system known as T- lymphocytes. The spleen that is another organ of the lymphatic system filters the blood of the destroyed tissues. One of the fundamental functions of the lymphatic system is to drain the excess fluid from the tissues of the body. The formation of lymphatic fluid Lymphatic fluid is formed in a case whereby the interstitial fluid in the interstices of the body collects in the lymph capillaries then channeled through the lymph capillaries then to via the lymph vessels to the lymph nodes. The fluids later mix with the blood in the subclavian vein either the right or the left. The interrelationship of the circulatory and lymphatic systems The lymphatic system and the circulatory system both play a key role in the transportation of substances in the body. The two systems work harmoniously to transport materials through the body. There is the percentage of the blood help in the formation of the lymph. That lymph again eliminates destroyed blood cells in the body. Again both the system produce fluid, the circulatory system produces blood, and the lymphatic system produces lymph. Both the lymph and the blood carry nutrients in them. Mechanisms of the heart beat and the rate of breathing When one is at rest, the rate of breathing is normal, however when the on involve in a strenuous exercise of an activity the rate of breathing increases. That is because, during the exercise, there is the use of oxygen, therefore, the rate of heart beat increases so as to replace the oxygen used. Again at the time of the exercise there is the accumulation of toxic substance like the lactic acid. Such toxic substances have to be eliminating through the increase of supply of the oxygen in the body tissues. The homeostatic control mechanism for breathing and its implications The rate of breathing is always at normal when the body is at rest. However, when one is involved in an activity that requires the use of energy, the rate of breathing increases. It is because the concentration of carbon dioxide is high in the body tissues as compared to the concentration of oxygen in those tissues. The part of the brain that controls the respiration will detect the changes and initiate the correct measures for the increase and the decrease in the rate of breathing. When one end the activity, the rate of breathing will reduce and even the heart beat so as to maintain the homeostasis in the body. When one is in a vigorous activity and the mechanism fails, there will be an accumulation of lactic acid in the body tissues thus leading to fatigue because it is toxic. On the other hand, when the rate of breathing continues to increase as much as there is no vigorous activity, there will be excess oxygen hence overstretching the red blood cells. How skin regulates the body temperature The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that regulates the temperature of the body. When there is a change in the body temperature, the nerve impulses sends information to the hypothalamus triggers various changes on the skin appropriate to the change that has occurred. The changes sent by the receptor on the skin makes the hypothalamus make changes in the effectors so as to bring the body temperature to normal. One of the effectors on the skin is the sweat glands and the muscles that send the nerve impulses to the skin making the hair to stand  when it is cold and make them lie on the skin when it is hot. However, the sweat glands on the skin also secrete sweat so as to cool the body at the same time when it is cold, and the sweat glands do not secrete sweat. The muscles on the skin also relax when the body temperature is low, and they contract when the body temperature is high. When the homeostatic mechanism cannot bring changes appropriate to the body temperature, there will be increased heartbeat. Such will be due to the increased accumulation of the toxic substances on the body. Again the skin will be dry with the sweat that lubricates the body will not be secreted. Another extreme case may be death since the body will not be able to maintain the body temperature about that of the surrounding. Three ways through which white blood cells provide protection to the body There is a molecule that covers the surface of the white blood cells called the Antigen can detect any foreign body that enters the body or the pathogen. The white blood cells react by producing the antibody that deals with the pathogen. One of the ways is producing Antitoxins that prevents the toxin that has been produced by the pathogen from destroying the cells. Moreover, there is Lymphocyte that generates antibodies, and it is attached to the antigen coiled to respond to particular kind of the pathogen. The antibodies produced destroy the pathogen and made it easy for phagocytes to engulf them. There is also another kind of white blood cells called phagocytes that engulf and digest the pathogens causing bacteria. The role of platelets in the process of blood clotting The platelet is a component of blood that prevents the excessive loss of blood by forming a clot on the injured surface. The injury of anybody surface causes the blood vessels to break thus causing bleeding. The injury causes the platelets to be activated, from that point forward coordinating with other blood proteins to form fibrin. Fibrin forms a clot on the surface of the injured surface. The hormone called thrombin is activated that converts a blood clotting, fibrinogen to fibrin. Fibrin initiates the production of more platelets and blood cells. Fibrin forms a mesh- like structure on the surface of the injured body part and also closes the blood vessels. The colt is after that dissolved after the blood vessels have healed up. How congestive heart failure affects the distribution of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, and how it affects the individual Congestive heart failure is whereby the heart the heart cannot pump blood enough to meet the demands of the body. When there is a failure of the left ventricle that carries the oxygenated blood from the lungs to the body tissues, it follows that the body tissues will not receive enough oxygen for proper functioning of the body. In such a case, one will feel fatigue and dizzy. Moreover, the body tissues will also be poisoned as a result of the blood to flow to the kidney so as to remove the excess waste substances. Furthermore, the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the body will be there because there is no enough blood to transport the outside the tissues. The most severe result to an individual with such a condition could be death How sickle- cells shaped red blood cells affect the transportation of oxygen around the body The red blood cells use hemoglobin that is protein in nature for the transportation of the blood from one part of the body to another. The red blood cells are always round in nature and flexible so as to pass through the narrow vessels of blood as they transport blood. The protein hemoglobin has the beta and the alpha parts. However, a case whereby the red blood cells are sickle- cell shaped, it follows that the beta part of the hemoglobin has been coded through mutation on chromosome 11. Such a condition make the red blood cells to assume a concave shape and loses the flexibility thus cannot transport the oxygen as is expected. The effects of atrial and ventricular fibrillation on the heart rate Atrial fibrillation may lead to incomplete emptying if the blood from the lower chamber into the body. The remaining blood in the chamber can start to clot thus creating a blockage in the entire blood vessel, thus leading to stroke and subsequently death. Ventricular fibrillation leads to uneven electrical activities in the heart ventricles. Due to the stoppage in the blood supply the ventricle will not receive the blood thus the pressure reduces. It can amount to shock and subsequent death. There are higher possibilities of the blood clot as a result of the atrial fibrillation because of the irregularity and unsteady flow of the blood. Such clots can be spread to other body parts leading to the damages in the body tissues. Due to the decreased pumping of the blood, there is an inefficient supply of the blood to the body parts and the removal of the waste substances. It can also lead to heart failure, stroke, and even death. Non-Hodgkins lymphoma and its effects on the lymphatic system The lymphatic system is part of the immune system because in the fluid there are white blood cells that fight the infections. non- Hodgkin makes the white blood cells to begin to multiply in a weird way and collects somewhere in the lymphatic system. Such an effect will make the white blood cells to lose the ability to fight germs and become susceptible to infections. Bibliography Massry, S. G., Ritz, E., & Rapado, A. (1978). Homeostasis of Phosphate and Other Minerals. Boston, MA, Springer US. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-7758-0. International Workshop On Phosphate And Other Minerals, Massry, S. G., OLMER, M., & Ritz, E. (1986). Phosphate and mineral homeostasis. New York, Plenum Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=grxJAQAAIAAJ Jungreis, A. M. (1977). Water relations in membrane transport in plants and animals. New York, Academic Press. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2818671.html. Potts, W. T. W., Hazon, N., Eddy, B., & Flik, G. (1997). Ionic regulation in animals a tribute to Professor W.T.W. Potts. Berlin, Springer. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/36111968.html. Kampmeier, O. F. (1969). Evolution and comparative morphology of the lymphatic system. Springfield, Ill, Thomas. . Read More