Homeostasis
Definition
Homeostasis refers to an organism's ability to maintain stable internal conditions despite changes in its environment.
Analogy
Imagine homeostasis like your house's thermostat system. When it gets too cold outside, your heating system kicks on to warm up your house; when it gets too hot, your air conditioning turns on to cool things down. Your body does something similar with things like body temperature and blood sugar levels - constantly adjusting to keep everything balanced!
Related terms
Feedback Mechanism: The process by which certain factors can initiate or inhibit actions, often to maintain equilibrium within an organism.
Thermoregulation: The process by which organisms regulate their body temperature within certain boundaries.
Osmoregulation: The regulation of osmotic pressure within an organism by controlling the concentration of body fluids.
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