Key learning points

1. If conditions in the body change too much, this can be dangerous to our health.
2. Changes in body temperature affect the rate of chemical reactions and can impact enzyme activity.
3. Extreme changes in body temperature can lead to hypothermia or hyperthermia and death.
4. Changes in water content of the fluid around cells can lead to cells shrinking or bursting due to osmosis.
5. Use of antagonistic effects to maintain a constant environment.

Keywords

• Enzyme - a protein which acts as a biological catalyst

• Internal body temperature - the optimal internal temperature of our body, which is about 37°C

• Homeostasis - the regulation of the internal conditions to maintain optimum conditions for enzyme action and all cell functions

• Osmosis - the net movement of water molecules through a selectively-permeable membrane from high to low concentration of water molecules

• Antagonistic - effectors and effects that work against each other

Common misconception