Every organism possesses a mechanism for maintaining homeostasis. Homeostasis is the ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with changes in the external environment. Regulation of temperature is most definitely the most important aspect of homeostasis. Fish are cold-blooded animals. Most fish cannot control their internal body temperatures. Most fish body temperature’s change with the temperature of the water around them. In order to obtain temperature homeostasis, the fish seek colder or warmer water. They lose metabolic heat through their gills. There are different types of metabolic adaptations in fish. Temperature and blood pressure are two. Cold-blooded animals must regulate their body temperature by moving.
Literary Discussion
Homeostasis and the Respiration of Goldfish
What is Homeostasis? “Homeostasis is the ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with external changes” (www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Homeostasis). “The main function of homeostasis is to keep all the processes of the body stable even if there are variations in the weather and environment outside” (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-homeostasis.html). Regulation of temperature is most definitely the most important aspect of homeostasis. Warm blooded animals are able to retain a more adjustable constant body temperature. “In humans, homeostasis happens when the body regulates body temperature in an effort to maintain an internal temperature around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit” (http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Homeostasis). For instance, when it is hot outside your body sweats to cool off, and we shiver to warm up during the cold seasons. Unlike humans, most fish cannot control their internal body temperatures. Fish are cold-blooded creatures. Some fish have mechanisms to keep a healthy temperature. In order to obtain temperature homeostasis, the fish seek colder or warmer water. Certain types of fish such as tuna fish control their body temperature by a specialized heat exchange system of blood vessels. Most fish are poikilothermic which means their body temperature changes with the temperature of the water around them. For instance, if the top of a pond is frozen over, the fish swims to the bottom of the pond to try to stay at a comfortable temperature. All animals create heat from metabolic activity. “Metabolic activity includes breaking down food and movement” (http://www.ehow.com/facts_7433473_fish-homeostasis-different-water-temperatures.html). Animals such as fish lose metabolic heat through their gills. This happens because the heated blood that runs through vessels in the gills comes into close contact with the colder water outside, and all the heat is lost.
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Many diseases are a result of disturbance of homeostasis. This condition is known as homeostatic imbalance. Every organism will lose efficiency in its control systems as it ages. Homeostatic imbalance is responsible for the physical changes associated with aging along with the internal environment. Inefficiencies gradually increase the risk for illness because of the unstable internal environment. It has been seen where alleged negative feedback mechanisms become overwhelmed and destructive positive feedback mechanisms then take over. “Negative feedback is mainly how homeostasis is maintained, and positive feedback includes processes like blood clotting” (http://www.biology-online.org/biology-forum/about2004.html).
In maintaining homeostasis, the kidneys, liver, and brain are the organs in which play an important role. The kidneys are responsible for controlling blood water level, and regulation of salt and ion content in the blood. “The liver performs the function of stabilizing carbohydrate metabolism and metabolizing toxic substances” (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-homeostasis.htm.l) Whereas, the brain helps in controlling the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system. Dehydration, hypertension, diabetes, hypoglycemia, etc are major homeostatic imbalance health problems. Homeostasis is extremely important for proper functioning of all human body systems. Enzymes even need a specific constant temperature to work at their optimum level. At higher temperatures, the enzymes will stop working. Homeostasis occurs to all humans, animals, and plants and is needed for us to stay healthy and alive.
There are different types of metabolic adaptations in fish. Temperature and blood pressure are two examples. Body temperature for a fish mainly depends on the temperature of the water that the fish is in. This is the same for a fish in a tank, lake, pond, river, ocean, etc. A fish body adjusts to the temperature where the fish will be comfortable in the water. Cold-blooded animals cannot generate their own body heat; they must regulate their body temperature by moving. Absorptive and post absorptive are two metabolic states. Digestion, strength, respiration, salt and water balance, and heart rate are also included in this category. Glycolysis is an anaerobic metabolic pathway. Homeostasis in fish as well as in humans adjusts when the environment that it is in adjusts. If a fish is swimming in polluted water, the water is going to affect the fish. It’s going to affect the fish’s vision, the fish’s breathing, and many other things. Just like polluted air causes humans to get a disease or any other illness, a fish can get a disease or illness as well. The temperature will affect the pace of the fish similar to the temperature affecting the pace of humans.
“Homeostasis, in biological terms means that the body is maintaining internal equilibrium to adjust internally and physiologically, in response to the external environmental changes”(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-homeostasis.html). “The main function of homeostasis is to keep all the processes of the body stable even if there are variations in the weather and environment outside” (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-homeostasis.html). Regulation of temperature is most definitely the most important aspect of homeostasis.
Vocabulary
“Effectors-are muscles or glands which work in response to the stimulus received from the motor nerves”(http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-ii/control-and-coordination/receptors-and-effectors.php).
“Receptors-are structures at the ends of the nerve fibers that collect the information to be conducted by the nerves” (http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-ii/control-and-coordination/receptors-and-effectors.php).
“Nares (Nostrils)-the nasal passages”
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nares).
“Mouth-the opening in which an animal or human takes in food, liquid, oxygen, etc.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mouth?s=t)
“Eyes- the organ of sight, in vertebrates typically one of a pair of spherical bodies contained in an orbit of the skull and in humans appearing externally as a dense, white, curved membrane, or sclera, surrounding a circular, colored portion, or iris, that is covered by a clear, curved membrane, or cornea, and in the center of which is an opening, or pupil, through which light passes to the retina.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eyes?s=t)
“Operculum-the gill cover; a part or organ serving as a lid or cover, as a covering flap on a seed vessel.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/operculum?s=t)
“Lateral Line-the line, or system of lines, of sensory structures along the head and sides of fishes, by which the animal is believed to detect water current and pressure changes and vibrations.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/late-ral+line?s=t)
“Soft Dorsal Fins-the fin or finlike integumentary expansion generally developed on the back of aquatic vertebrates.”( http://www.earthlife.net/fish/fins.html)
“Pectoral Fins-(in fishes) either of a pair of fins usually situated behind the head, one on each side, and corresponding to the forelimbs of higher vertebrates.”( http://www.earthlife.net/fish/fins.html)
“Pelvic Fins-(in fishes) either of a pair of fins on the lower surface of the body, corresponding to the hind limbs of a land vertebrate; ventral fin.”( http://www.earthlife.net/fish/fins.html)
“Gills-the respiratory organ of aquatic animals, as fish, that breathe oxygen dissolved in water.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gills?s=t)
“Scales-one of the hard, bony or dentinal plates, either flat or denticulate, forming the covering of certain other animals, as fishes.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scales?s=t)
“Vent-the anal or excretory opening of animals, especially of those below mammals, as birds and reptiles.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vent?o=100074)
“Peduncle-a stalk or stem; a stalk like part or structure.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/peduncle?s=t)
“Anal Fin- the median, unpaired fin on the ventral margin between the anus and the caudal fin in fishes.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anal+fin?s=t)
“Two-Chambered Heart-including one atrium and one ventricle.”( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrium_(heart)
“Jaws- either of two bones, the mandible or maxilla, forming the framework of the mouth.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jaws?s=ts)
“Equilibrium-a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces.
“Vertebrates- are animals that have a spine or backbones.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equilibrium?s=t)
“Cold-blooded- designating or pertaining to animals, as fishes and reptiles, whose blood temperature ranges from the freezing point upward, in accordance with the temperature of the surrounding medium.”( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cold-blooded?s=t)
“Ventilation-combination of movement of operculum and the floor of the mouth.”( http://www.biology-resources.com/fish-01.html)
Question, Hypothesis, Materials, and Procedure
Question: Do various temperatures of water effect the way a fish breathe?
Hypothesis-
Cold water: Cold water will affect the way a fish breathe. A fish will take deeper, slower, and less breathes.
Room Temperature Water: The amount of breaths a fish breathes will be normal.
Hot water: Hot water will cause the fish to taker deeper breaths that are faster. Fish will inhale and exhale more breathes in hot water.
Materials-
Two fish
Small sized container/fish tank
Hot water
Cold water
Room temperature water
Notebook/paper
Pen/pencil
Thermometer
timer
Procedure-
First, set aside a bowl of water to get it to be room temperature. While that sits, create a table with three rows and eight columns. Label the first row experimental sample. Label the next two rows fish one and fish two. Label the columns room temperature, number of breaths, cold water temperature, breaths, hot water temperature, and breaths.
Then, get extremely cold water and pour it into the container/fish bowl. Take the first fish and put it in the container with the cold water. Take the thermometer and put it in the bowl of water; wait till the meter stops moving. Record the temperature of the water. Next, set your timer to sixty seconds. Start the timer and count how many breaths the fish takes until the timer goes off. Record the time. Take the fish and thermometer out of the water and pour the water out.
Pour the hot water into the container/fish tank and put the previous fish back into the container. Take the thermometer and sit it in the bowl until the meter stops. Record the temperature. Like before, set the timer to sixty seconds and count how many breaths the fish takes in that time. Record your results. After that, take the fish out along with the thermometer. Empty the container of the water.
By this time the water that was set aside should be room temperature. Take that water and empty it into the container/fish tank and put the previous fish and thermometer in the bowl. Record the temperature of the water. Set the timer and count the breaths taken again. Record your results before taking the fish and thermometer out. Pour out the water.
Repeat this process with the other fish and new water.
Bar Graph and Frequency Table
Experimental Sample
Room Temperature
Number of Breaths
Warm Temperature
Number of Breaths
Cold Temperature
Number of Breaths
Time
Fish #1
22° C
89
27° C
91
25° C
59
60 sec
Fish #2
23° C
84
27° C
69
25° C
66
60 sec
What is a fish? What is the mechanism in which fish breathe in water? A fish is any cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water (http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2006/03/how-do-fish-breathe.html). Fish live in nearly any water habitat and can be found in many different varieties of climatic conditions from near-freezing Arctic waters to the hot desert springs. Animals that live on land have a different respiratory system from aquatic animals such as fish. A fish is capable of breathing under water without taking frequent trips to the surface to breathe air unlike a whale which is a marine animal. This is because fish have gills. It is a process to fish breathing. First, water in the fish’s surrounding enters its mouth. Water enters the mouth by the operculum and a very effective pumping system that involves the mouth. As a fish pumps water through the gills it opens and closes its mouth. Water is drawn into the mouth after the fish opens its mouth and the operculum closes. After water enters the fish’s mouth it passes through a structure. This structure is called gill rakers. The gill rakers act as a filter system by straining out particles such as food or any other foreign particles that may have entered the mouth from the inflow of water. Next, the filtered water travels through the gill arches hence passing over the gills. Projected out into the water flow allows water to flow across the lamellae are gill filaments. Resulting, oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged directly across the capillary membrane. As water flows through the gills, the dissolved oxygen passes into blood circulating through the gill structures. The gill structures include the filaments and lamellae. Simultaneously, carbon dioxide which is the waste product, in the fish’s bloodstream passes into the water. It is then carried away and out of the body through the operculum. This is the process by which fish breathe also know as respiration.
Resources and References
http://www.biology-resources.com/fish-01.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish
http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2006/03/how-do-fish-breathe.html
http://teachers.guardian.co.uk/Guardian_RootRepository/Saras/ContentPackaging/UploadRepository/learnpremium/Lesson/learnpremium/scienc~00/post16~00/biology/exchan~00/gaseou~01/gaseou~01/breath~00/default.htm
http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-ii/control-and-coordination/receptors-and-effectors.php
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Two+chambered+heart
http://www.dictionary.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrium_(heart
http://www.earthlife.net/fish/fins.html
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