Module 2
1. Module 2
1.12. Lesson 2
Module 2—The Endocrine System
Lesson 2—Who Is in Charge?
Get Focused
In the first lesson of this module, you learned about the different glands that make up the endocrine system. The level of hormones circulating in the body from these different glands needs to be just right. Like the brain in the nervous system, the endocrine system also has a "boss" to ensure homeostasis—the hypothalamus-pituitary gland complex. Module 1 presented the hypothalamus as part of the brain, making this structure one of the places where the nervous and endocrine systems overlap. You may know the pituitary as the gland that regulates cellular respiration or metabolism from your studies in Biology 20. If this complex were not doing its job, your life would quickly unravel. You would not be able to function or develop normally. Your growth might be stunted and, if you were a boy, your voice would never change. In Emily’s case, tiny tumours in her pituitary gland cause either an oversecretion or undersecretion of several pituitary hormones that regulate other endocrine glands. Because they are inappropriately stimulated, these glands, in turn, oversecrete or undersecrete their hormones and cause potentially life-threatening symptoms, such as imbalances in blood sugar level.
In this lesson you will explore the following focusing question:
- Who is the boss of the endocrine system, and how is the control of the endocrine system managed?
Module 2: Lesson 2 Assignment
Your teacher-marked Module 2: Lesson 2 Assignment requires you to submit a response to the following:
- Thought Lab—Evaluating Potential Uses for Human Growth Hormone
Download a copy of the Module 2: Lesson 2 Assignment to your computer now. You will receive further instructions on how to complete this assignment later in the lesson.
You must decide what to do with the questions that are not marked by the teacher.
Remember that these questions provide you with the practice and feedback that you need to successfully complete this course. You should respond to all the questions and place those answers in your course folder.
While you are completing this lesson, there will be many opportunities for you to acquire, understand, and practise the concepts that are presented to you. As you complete these activities, as well as your summary notes, you will file everything in your course folder to reference when you are preparing for exams.
Remember you also have the option of trying additional questions from the textbook for further practice. Consult with your teacher for the answers to these questions. The Key will also provide you with many Diploma Exam-style multiple-choice, numerical-response, and written-response questions that will be an excellent review of the module. Practising your responses to these types of questions is good preparation for the Diploma Exam.