Maintaining Life in the Human Body

Maintaining Life To maintain life the human body must : Maintain boundaries Maintain movement Respond to stimuli Digest and metabolize Excrete waste Reproduce Grow

Survival Needs The body is a very delicate machine and has needs that MUST be met in order to maintain life The human body needs: Nutrients, Oxygen, Water, Maintained Body Temperature, Appropriate Atmospheric Pressure

Nutrients Nutrients are taken in via our diets They contain the chemicals used for energy and cell building Carbohydrates, Proteins, Minerals, and Vitamins are all nutrients that play a vital role in our survival

Here are some examples that are needed for our survival Nutrients Here are some examples that are needed for our survival

Oxygen All of the nutrients that we take in are useless without oxygen Chemical reactions that release energy from food requires oxygen Oxygen is made available to the body by a combined effort of the cardiovascular and respiratory system

Oxygen in the bloodstream

Water Water makes up 60-80 percent of our body mass It is the single most abundant chemical in the body Absorbed from foods and liquids and released by evaporation in the lungs and body excretions

Body Temperature Body temperature must be maintained at around 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Farenheit) Metabolic reactions decrease with a lower body temperature and increase with a higher body temperature

Atmospheric Pressure Your body must be kept in an area where there is suitable atmospheric pressure. Standard atmospheric pressure is 1.00 atms If your body is subject to pressures too great or to little you can not properly perform the act of respiration (gaseous exchange).

Atmospheric Pressure SCUBA divers spend time in chambers called hyperbaric chambers to re-regulate their bodies to normal atmospheric pressure