Human Physiology

Name: __________________________________________

Date: _____________

Lab Activity 1: Maintaining Homeostasis

Introduction:
Homeostasis is one of the fundamental characteristics of living things. It refers to
the maintenance of the internal environment within tolerable limits. Different
factors affect suitability of our body fluids, such as blood to sustain life; these
include properties like temperature, salinity (how much salt), pH, and the
concentrations of nutrients and wastes. Because these properties affect the
chemical reactions that keep us alive, we have built-in physiological mechanisms to
maintain them at desirable levels. When a change occurs in the body, the body
most often responds through what is called a negative feedback loop. The body
responds in such a way as to reverse the direction of change. For example, if your
blood sugar was too high, your body would initiate processes such as secreting
increased insulin to lower your blood sugar. Because these processes tend to keep
things constant, it allows us to maintain homeostasis. Due to the increased
demands exercise puts on the body, many homeostatic factors to kick in, in an
effort to maintain internal homeostasis. Some of the observable parameters of
homeostatic mechanisms during exercise are:

Change in skin color on arms and face

Perspiration Level
External Body Temperature
Heart Rate
Breathing Rate

Objectives:
1.
Determine the effect that exercise has on specific body parameters.
2.
Observe the changes in the body that occur during exercise in an effort to
maintain homeostasis.
Materials:
Digital BP monitor
Stopwatch

Thermometer
Bicycle ergometer

Alcohol swab

Procedure:
1. Each group should obtain: a thermometer, digital BP, stop-watch and bicycle
ergometer.
2. Record the resting observations and values of your subject for each of the 5
parameters.

Record normal skin color of hands and face (i.e. pale, pink, red, etc.)
Record normal perspiration level (i.e. none, mild, medium, high)
Record external body temperature by placing the thermometer on the
arm pit for 1 minute
Record the resting heart rate using the carotid or radial pulse for 30
seconds (x2)

Human Physiology

Record the breathing rate by counting the number of breaths taken in

30 seconds (x2)

3. Have your subject begin to do Incremental Exercise Test to Symptom-Limit

Maximum based on the given protocol.
Protocol Incremental Exercise Test to Symptom-Limit Maximum
(i) Selecting the increment size:
Work rate (W) increment per minute = (Peak VO, ml/min VO
unloaded, ml/min)
100
Peak VO in ml per minute = (Height, cm Age, years) x 20 for sedentary
men, x 14 for
sedentary women
VO unloaded in ml per minute = 150 + (6 x weight, kg)
(ii) The subject start pedaling unloaded for 3 minutes then increase work rate
(W) every minute until he/she unable to maintain cycling frequency above 40
rpm.
4. Take your subjects parameter readings, using the same techniques described
above at the every 2 minutes time markers until exhaustion. Be sure to take final
readings 2 minutes after your subject has stopped exercising.
Record all of your parameter readings in the table provided.
5. Clean the thermometer with alcohol when you are finished and return it along
with your other lab materials to the front of the room.
6. Plot you and your partners measured data. Plot 1 graph each for body
temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate versus the duration of exercise (i.e.
rest (0), 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 minutes). Make sure your graphs contain a title, labeled
axes, and a key.

Human Physiology

Table: Body Parameters

Body
Color

Perspiratio
n Level

Body
Temperatur
e
(Celsius)

Heart Rate
(Beats/min)

Blood
Pressure
(mm/Hg)

Breathing
Rate
(Breaths/
min)

At rest
2
minute
4
minute
6
minute
8
10
12
After 2
minute
s stop

Follow-up Questions:
1) What are the changes you observed in the color of the face and hands?
2) What are the changes you observed in perspiration level?
3) What are the changes in color of the face and hands and perspiration level in
response to? How do these changes contribute to the maintenance of
homeostasis?
4) Why do you think a change in body temperature occurs? Hint: Think of food as
fuel.
5) What happens to heart rate and breathing rate during exercise? Why do you think
this happens? Hint: What does the blood carry?

Human Physiology

6) Why does an increase in breathing rate accompany exercise?

7) By studying your parameter measurements after exercise has stopped, what
conclusions can you draw about your bodys ability to maintain homeostasis?
8) Based on the information you learned in this lab, explain why it is important to
drink plenty of water during exercise and what could possibly happen if you
didnt. Think: What processes would be impaired?