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16: Endocrine System

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    2281

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    Learning Objectives

    After completing this section, you should know:

    • The characteristics of endocrine glands and hormones
    • The position of the main endocrine glands in the body
    • The relationship between the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus
    • The main hormones produced by the two parts of the pituitary gland and their effects on the body
    • The main hormones produced by the pineal, thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands, the pancreas, ovary and testicle in regard to their effects on the body
    • What is meant by homeostasis and feedback control
    • The homeostatic mechanisms that allow an animal to control its body temperature, water balance, blood volume and acid/base balance

    In order to survive, animals must constantly adapt to changes in the environment. The nervous and endocrine systems both work together to bring about this adaptation. In general the nervous system responds rapidly to short-term changes by sending electrical impulses along nerves and the endocrine system brings about longer-term adaptations by sending out chemical messengers called hormones into the blood stream.

    Thumbnail: Thyroid gland. (Public Domain; LadyofHats).

    This page titled 16: Endocrine System is shared under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ruth Lawson via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.