LAB SEVEN HOMEOSTASIS and EXERCISE

The Effects of Exercise on HoHomeostasis

The assignment this week is to read all you can about Homeostasis
and to do the lab on Homeostasis below. Good luck!

A: Purpose
To discover the effect that various levels of exercise have on specific body
parameters.
B: Hypothesis
How do you predict the 6 observed and measured parameters will change as
the subject exercises?
Write a hypothesis about the effect of exercise on the dependent variables that
you are measuring, giving a possibleexplanation to the problem listed above,
using an If, then statement. (You may read the procedure first, to gain a
better understanding)
C: Materials
Skipping Rope
Thermometer
Blood Pressure/Heart Rate Kit
A clock or stopwatchStop watch (use your own)
Ethanol
Cotton Balls

Personnel

You, plus two other group member (groups of 3 of your friends or relatives ,
no more, no less, unless approved by me)
A clock or stopwatch
D: Introduction
Background:
Your body's temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure need to remain
within certain set ranges. In this lab, you will work in groups to examine the
effects of exercise on the circulatory and respiratory systems, and on
perspiration level.You will then observe how the body reacts when exercise is
stopped.
Problem:
How does exercise affect a person's heart rate, breathing rate, and perspiration
level?
Exercise causes many homeostatic factors to kick in, in an effort to maintain
internal homeostasis. How exercise effects some of these homeostatic factors can
be determined by measuring and observing certain parameters such as:
o

Change in skin colour on arms and face

Perspiration Level

External Body Temperature

Heart Rate

Blood Pressure

Breathing Rate

In the following lab you or a number of your friends in groups will exercise for 8
minutes by skipping or running on the spot. The parameters listed above will be
recorded at rest, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, 6 minutes, 8 minutes, and 1 minute after
exercise has stopped. The subject should stop just long enough for the needed
measurements to be taken.
Procedure:

1. Choose one volunteer to complete jumping jacks at a pace that can be

maintained for eight minutes (just chooseright now; dont actually do the activity
yet). Make sure the volunteer is inactive for a few minutes before theexperiment
begins.
2. Measure the heart rate by taking his or her pulse; you can do this one of two
ways.
(1)Radial Pulse: This is probablywhat we're most familiar with when visiting the
doctor's office. Take two fingers, preferably the 2nd and 3rd finger, andplace them
in the groove in the wrist that lies beneath the thumb. Move your fingers back and
forth gently until you canfeel a slight pulsation this is the pulse of the radial
artery which delivers blood to the hand. Don't press too hard, orelse you'll just feel
the blood flowing through your fingers!
(2)Carotid Pulse: The carotid arteries supply blood to the
head and neck. You can feel the pulse of the common carotid artery by taking the
same two fingers and running themlongside the outer edge of your trachea
(windpipe). This pulse may be easier to find than the radial artery. Since thecarotid
arteries supply a lot of the blood to the brain, it's important not to press on both of
them at the same time!
Count the number of beats in 15 seconds. Your partner will use the clock or
stopwatch to tell you when to start and when to stop.
3. Multiply the number of beats in 15 seconds by 4 to calculate the beats per
minute.
Record the data in the Table 1 under the 0 minutes box.
# of beats X 4 = beats per minute4. Measure the person's breathing rate by
counting the number of breaths taken in 15 seconds. Then multiply thisnumber by
4 to calculate breaths per minute. Add this information to the table.
# of breaths X 4 = breaths per minute
5. Rate the person's perspiration level from 1 to 5 (1 = none; 5 = droplets dripping
down the face). Note this observationin the table.

6. Have the volunteer do jumping jacks for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, measure
heart rate, breathing rate, and perspiration level(refer to Steps 2 through 5), and
record the data. Measure the pulse, breathing and perspiration levels as quickly as
youcan so that the volunteer can resume exercise. Do not have volunteer wait
while you do the calculations and enter thedata.
7. Repeat Step 6 three more times and record your data at each point.
8. After the final recording of the dependent variables, wait 1 minute and 30
seconds with the volunteer at rest. Thenmeasure all of the variables again. Record
this data
9 Plot your measured data on 4 graphs. You should plot 1 graph each for body
temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate versus the duration of
exercise (i.e. rest, 2,4,6,8, 9 minutes). PLEASE NOTE: When plotting your blood
pressure graph you should show one line for systolic pressure (the higher number)
and another line for diastolic pressure (the lower number).
10 Describe your results for each of the 6 parameters.

TABLE 1.EFFECTS OF EXERCISETime (min.)

Heart Rate(beats/min.)Breathing Rate(breaths/min.)Perspiration Level

0
2
4
6
8
Observations
Body

Perspiration

Body

Heart Rate

Blood

Breathing

Colour

Level

Temperature
(Celcius)

(Beats/min)

Pressure

Rate

(mmHg)

(breaths/
min)

REST

2
Minutes

4
Minutes

6
Minutes

8
Minutes

1 minute
after
exercise

Analysis and Conclusion:

1. What is the independent variable in this experiment?
2. Graph the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
You may choose one graph to display allof your data, or you may use separate
graphs for each of the dependent variables.

2b. Explain your graph choice (Why did you choose this graph to show your
data?).
3. What are the effects of exercise over time on the circulatory and respiratory
systems? On perspiration level?
4. What other processes could you have measured to determine the external
and internal effects of exercise on the
body?
5. How is perspiration level related to body temperature? How is perspiration
related to homeostasis?
6 What are the changes you observed in body colour and perspiration level in
response to? How do these changes contribute to the maintenance of
homeostasis?
7 Why do you think a change in body temperature occurs? What mechanisms
does your body use to maintain its homeostatic temperature?
8 Why does an increase in heart rate and breathing rate accompany exercise?
9 Explain the results you obtained for diastolic (lower number) and systolic
(higher number) blood pressure.
10 By studying your parameter measurements after exercise has stopped,
what conclusions can you draw about your bodys ability and that of your
friends to maintain homeostasis?