The production of red blood cells is regulated by a feedback loop involving erythropoietin. In non-disease states, the production of red blood cells is equal to the destruction of red blood cells, thus maintaining sufficient red blood cells to deliver adequate oxygen to the body's tissues. However, when the number of red blood cells decrease and oxygen levels are low, erythropoietin is produced by the liver and kidneys to increase the production of red blood cells. Is this a positive or negative feedback loop? Explain your answer.

What will be an ideal response?


This is an example of a negative feedback loop, which keeps a variable close to a particular value or set point. A negative feedback system prevents change in the same direction. As the red blood cell count decreases, oxygen levels decrease. The low oxygen levels cause an increase in the production of erythropoietin, which in turn, increases red blood cell production. As red blood cells increase in number and oxygen levels become normal, erythropoietin production decreases.

Biology & Microbiology

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The expression of the lac structural genes is _______ when lactose is absent from the culture medium and is _______ when lactose is added because lactose binds to the _______ and inactivates it.

A: low; high; lac operator B: high; low; lac operator C: low; high; lac promoter D: low; high; lac repressor E: high; low; lac inducer

Biology & Microbiology

Please match the cell types with the statements that most accurately describe them to test your understanding of prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, and viruses.

Contains a nucleus and undergoes mitosis A) Prokaryotic cells B) Eukaryotic cells C) Viruses D) Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells E) Prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells and viruses

Biology & Microbiology