Communication between cells is key to organism-level regulation of the internal environment to maintain health, that is, nearly constant internal conditions (homeostasis). Outline and compare the intercellular communication pathways that function to

provide homeostasis.

What will be an ideal response?


Intercellular communication occurs largely through the nervous system and the endocrine system. In general, the nervous system performs short-term "crisis management," whereas the endocrine system regulates longer-term, ongoing metabolic processes. Ideally, the nervous system communicates by an impulse over an axon to a neuron or some other effector. This is a very fast and spatially specific process. In contrast, the endocrine system relies on blindly sending out chemical messages to the whole body through the blood and interstitial fluid. This process is slow, and relies on the response of a different target cell.

Anatomy & Physiology

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A chemical reaction that involves formation of bonds is called ______.

A. synthesis B. decomposition C. exchange D. none of the above

Anatomy & Physiology

Extracellular fluids have relatively

A. high sodium and high potassium ion concentrations. B. low sodium and low potassium ion concentrations. C. low sodium and high potassium ion concentrations. D. high sodium and low potassium ion concentrations.

Anatomy & Physiology

Maximizing tangential acceleration is important in which of the following situations?

A. punting a football for distance B. serving a tennis ball C. throwing a dart D. both A and B E. all of the above

Anatomy & Physiology

Fish, larval amphibians, and adult aquatic amphibians have cup-shaped organs called __________ that consist of mechanosensory hair cells to detect water movements such as those caused by potential predators

Fill in the blank with the correct word.

Anatomy & Physiology