Assignment task:
Practice identifying the pieces of a negative feedback system. The following is a written discussion of the endocrine feedback pathway related to water conservation by the kidneys. It is not in feedback pathway order: you will have to interpret the paragraph to identify each element. Once identified, place the pieces in the answer sheet provided. There is a description of the role of each element, to assist you in deciding which element is which. Water loss from the body can result in dehydration, which causes high plasma osmolarity. One of the responses the body produces to maintain fluid homeostasis is to increase water reabsorption from the urine in the distal tubule and collecting duct of the nephrons of the kidney, so that body water is conserved until normal hydration is restored. This is accomplished through the use of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) from the posterior pituitary, released when the thirst center receives input from the primary osmoreceptors from the hypothalamus.