B5 - Coordination & Response Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering coordination, response, nervous and endocrine systems, homeostasis, feedback mechanisms, and plant signaling grounded directly in the provided text.

MR SHENG

An acronym representing the seven essential life processes: Metabolism, Reproduction, Sensitivity, Homeostasis, Excretion, Nutrition, Growth.

Emergent Property

A new behavior or characteristic that arises from the complex interactions of different parts within a system.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a stable internal environment within an organism, despite fluctuations in external conditions.

Nervous System

The network of nerve cells and fibers that rapidly transmits electrical impulses across the body to coordinate actions.

Endocrine System

A network of glands that slowly secrete chemical messengers (hormones) directly into the blood to regulate bodily functions.

Negative Feedback

A biological control mechanism where a change in a physiological state triggers a response that reverses the initial change, restoring balance.

Stimulus

A detectable change in the internal or external environment that triggers a biological response.

Receptor

A specialized cell or organ designed to detect a specific stimulus (e.g., temperature changes, blood sugar levels).

Control Center

The region (usually the brain or spinal cord) that receives signals from receptors and determines the appropriate response.

Effector

A muscle or gland that acts in response to a stimulus to bring about a physiological change.

Hormone

A chemical messenger produced by plants or secreted by endocrine glands into the blood to regulate bodily functions or growth.

Auxin

A specific plant hormone that accumulates in shaded or lower regions of a plant, loosening cell walls to stimulate targeted cell elongation.

Tropism

The directed growth or turning movement of a plant in response to an environmental stimulus.

Phototropism

The physical growth orientation of a plant in response to light direction.

Gravitropism

The physical growth orientation of a plant in response to the pull of gravity.

Concentration Gradient

The gradual difference in the amount of a substance (like auxin) across different areas of a tissue.

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that transmit information from a receptor cell to the central nervous system (CNS).

Relay Neurons

Neurons that transmit information between sensory and motor neurons.

Motor Neurons

Neurons that transmit information from the central nervous system (CNS) to an effector (muscle or gland) to carry out a response.

Thermoregulation

The means by which the body maintains a constant internal temperature, functioning most efficiently at $37\,^\circ\text{C}$.

Adrenaline

A hormone secreted by adrenal glands located above each kidney that increases heart rate, supplies oxygen to the brain and muscles, and causes the liver to release glucose into the blood.

Abscisic Acid (ABA)

A plant hormone that helps plants respond to stress like drought by promoting stomatal closure.

Gibberellins

A class of plant hormones that stimulate seed germination and cell elongation in response to environmental conditions.