Animal Physiology

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment (temperature, pH, ion and fluid balance) despite changes in

Negative feedback

A regulatory loop in which a change triggers a response that counteracts it, returning the variable toward a set point (

Positive feedback

A loop that amplifies the original stimulus, driving the variable further from baseline; used in processes like childbir

Function of the circulatory system

Transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and wastes throughout the body via blood pumped by the heart through blood vesse

Chambers of the human heart

Two atria (upper, receiving chambers) and two ventricles (lower, pumping chambers); the right side handles deoxygenated