What is homeostasis?

Homeostasis is the maintenance of the internal environment to a constant state, despite changes to the external environment. Examples of conditions in the body which must be kept constant include body temperature, blood glucose concentration and carbon dioxide concentration.

Homeostasis is achieved by the body using negative feedback. This is the reversal of a change in the body's internal environment to an optimum level. On a basic level, negative feedback takes place via a standard pathway:

Stimulus --> Receptor --> Communication pathway (cell signalling) --> Effector --> Response

GW
Answered by George W. Biology tutor

6309 Views

See similar Biology A Level tutors

Related Biology A Level answers

All answers ▸

How do I answer a question asking me to describe and/or explain a graph?


How are blood glucose levels controlled in the body?


How is exocytosis different from active transport?


I struggle with exam timing and as a result I always run out of time before finishing the paper. How can avoid this in the future?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning