Biology · AQA Paper 2
Hormonal Coordination in Humans
How the endocrine system coordinates the body with hormones, how insulin and glucagon control blood glucose and what goes wrong in diabetes, how the kidneys keep the water and nitrogen balance and what happens in kidney failure, and how hormones control the menstrual cycle, contraception and treatment for infertility. Matches AQA topic 4.5.3 (hormonal coordination in humans). Water and nitrogen balance and kidney failure (4.5.3.3) are for separate Biology only; the rest is for Combined Science and separate Biology, with the interaction of the menstrual cycle hormones, glucagon, ADH, deamination and the use of hormones to treat infertility for the Higher tier only.
Lessons
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1
Hormones and the Endocrine System
Hormones are chemical messengers that coordinate the body more slowly than nerves, but with longer-lasting effects. This lesson covers the principles of…
6 terms -
2
Blood Glucose and Diabetes
Every cell needs a steady supply of glucose, so the concentration of glucose in the blood is carefully controlled. This lesson explains how insulin controls…
8 terms -
3
Water and Nitrogen Balance
Your cells work properly only if the amount of water and the amount of dissolved ions around them stay in balance, and waste urea has to be removed. This…
8 terms -
4
Kidney Failure, Dialysis and Transplants
If the kidneys fail, waste builds up in the blood and the water balance is lost, and the person may die. This lesson is for separate Biology. It covers the two…
8 terms -
5
Hormones in Human Reproduction
Hormones control puberty, the maturing and release of eggs, sperm production and the menstrual cycle. This lesson covers puberty, the roles of oestrogen…
8 terms -
6
Contraception and Fertility Treatment
Hormones can be used to prevent pregnancy and to help people who cannot conceive. This lesson covers hormonal and non-hormonal contraception and how to…
8 terms
Key terms in this chapter
All 46, gathered from every lesson.
- Hormone
- A chemical messenger carried in the blood.
- Endocrine gland
- A gland that releases hormones into the blood.
- Target organ
- An organ with receptors that respond to a particular hormone.
- Pituitary gland
- The master gland that releases hormones controlling other glands.
- Thyroid gland
- The gland in the neck that releases thyroxine.
- Adrenal gland
- A gland above the kidney that releases adrenaline.
- Blood glucose concentration
- The amount of glucose in the blood.
- Insulin
- The hormone that lowers the blood glucose concentration.
- Glucagon
- The hormone that raises the blood glucose concentration (Higher tier).
- Pancreas
- The organ that releases insulin and glucagon.
- Glycogen
- The carbohydrate in which the liver stores glucose.
- Diabetes
- A disease in which the blood glucose concentration is not controlled properly.
- Type 1 diabetes
- Diabetes in which the pancreas does not make enough insulin.
- Type 2 diabetes
- Diabetes in which the body cells stop responding to insulin.
- Osmosis
- The movement of water across a partially permeable membrane from a dilute to a concentrated solution.
- Urea
- A waste substance made in the liver from excess amino acids, removed in the urine.
- Urine
- The liquid made by the kidneys that contains urea, excess water and excess ions.
- Filtration
- The removal of small molecules from the blood into the filtrate in the kidney.
- Selective reabsorption
- The taking back into the blood of useful substances such as glucose, some ions and some water.
- Filtrate
- The liquid that has been filtered out of the blood in the kidney.
- Deamination
- The removal of the nitrogen-containing part of an amino acid in the liver, forming ammonia (Higher tier).
- ADH
- The hormone from the pituitary gland that makes the kidney tubules more permeable to water (Higher tier).
- Kidney failure
- The kidneys can no longer remove urea or control the water and ion balance.
- Dialysis
- A treatment that uses a machine to remove urea and excess ions from the blood.
- Dialysis fluid
- The fluid on the other side of the membrane, with the same glucose and useful ions as normal blood.
- Partially permeable membrane
- A membrane that lets some substances through but not others.
- Transplant
- An operation that replaces a failed organ with a healthy organ from a donor.
- Donor
- A person who gives an organ to another person.
- Rejection
- The attack by the immune system on a transplanted organ.
- Immunosuppressant
- A drug that reduces the activity of the immune system.
- FSH
- Follicle stimulating hormone, which makes an egg mature in an ovary.
- LH
- Luteinising hormone, which stimulates ovulation.
- Oestrogen
- The main female reproductive hormone, made in the ovaries.
- Progesterone
- A hormone that maintains the lining of the uterus.
- Testosterone
- The main male reproductive hormone, made by the testes, which stimulates sperm production.
- Ovulation
- The release of a mature egg from an ovary.
- Menstruation
- The loss of the lining of the uterus, which is a period.
- Follicle
- The structure in the ovary in which an egg matures.
- Contraception
- A method of preventing pregnancy.
- Combined pill
- A contraceptive pill containing oestrogen and progesterone.
- Implant
- A small rod put under the skin that releases progesterone slowly.
- Condom
- A barrier method that stops sperm reaching an egg and protects against infection.
- IUD
- A small device put in the uterus that prevents pregnancy.
- Infertility
- Difficulty in conceiving a child.
- IVF
- In vitro fertilisation: fertilising an egg with sperm in a laboratory dish (Higher tier).
- Embryo
- A ball of cells that grows from a fertilised egg.