Homeostasis & Negative Feedback
Biology: AQA GCSE Higher, topic 5.1.3
Control Systems
Control systems use both nervous and chemical responses. Control systems are made up of three parts:
Receptors
- Receptor cells detect changes in the environment.
Coordination centres
- Coordination centres receive and process information arriving from receptor cells.
Effectors (muscles or glands)
- Effectors (muscles or glands) carry out responses to stimuli (events or things) that help to restore optimum levels.
Test yourself on Homeostasis & Negative Feedback
A signal from receptor cells passes to a part of the body that processes the information before a response is triggered. What part of a control system does this describe?
A receptor cell fails to detect a rise in temperature. What effect would this have on the coordination centre?
If effectors failed to carry out their response, what effect would this have on the body?
If a coordination centre failed to process information from receptor cells, what effect would this have on the effector?
A muscle contracts to move a leg away from a sharp object. Why is the muscle acting as an effector rather than a receptor in this response?