Module 2 The Endocrine System

1.2.6 page 2

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Regulating the Internal Environment

 

You and your friends are at a rock concert. Coloured lights are flashing, and the music is loud. You are dancing with your friends and having a great time. You see the changing lights; you hear and feel the music; you sense the temperature of the room. Heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, and sweating are all increased. Your body is able to detect and respond to environmental change and your internal environment is regulated by the two control systems you have studied in this unit: the nervous and endocrine systems. Structurally different in many ways, the two systems must constantly interact to control physiological processes such as heart rate.

 

Read page 436 in your textbook to explore how the nervous and endocrine systems are different.

 

Try This

 

TR 1.

 

As part of your notes from your reading, construct a table that contrasts the two systems in respect to the following features: method of communication, speed of communication, duration of response, target pathway and what action is brought about by the effectors. Check your table and file it in your course folder.

 

Self-Check Answers

 

TR 1.

 

Your table for contrasting (identifying differences) between the nervous and endocrine systems should resemble the one below.

 

Contrasting the Nervous and Endocrine Systems

 

Feature to be Contrasted	Nervous System	Endocrine System
Method of Communication	Neural pathways or electrochemical impulse transmission	Hormones in bloodstream
Speed	Very rapid (milliseconds)	Relatively slow (minutes/hours/days)
Duration	Short term effects	Longer lasting effects
Target Pathway	Specific through nerves to glands or muscles	Hormones to a broad range of  target cells
Action	Causes glands to secrete or muscles to contract	Causes changes in metabolic activity