Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo
Anatomy and Physiology

Introduction

Anatomy and PhysiologyIntroduction

This is a photo of Venus Williams, the famous tennis player, executing a hard tennis swing.
Figure 26.1 Venus Williams Perspiring on the Tennis Court The body has critically important mechanisms for balancing the intake and output of bodily fluids. An athlete must continuously replace the water and electrolytes lost in sweat. (credit: “Edwin Martinez1”/Wikimedia Commons)

Chapter Objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

  • Identify the body’s main fluid compartments
  • Define plasma osmolality and identify two ways in which plasma osmolality is maintained
  • Identify the six ions most important to the function of the body
  • Define buffer and discuss the role of buffers in the body
  • Explain why bicarbonate must be conserved rather than reabsorbed in the kidney
  • Identify the normal range of blood pH and name the conditions where one has a blood pH that is either too high or too low

Homeostasis, or the maintenance of constant conditions in the body, is a fundamental property of all living things. In the human body, the substances that participate in chemical reactions must remain within narrows ranges of concentration. Too much or too little of a single substance can disrupt your bodily functions. Because metabolism relies on reactions that are all interconnected, any disruption might affect multiple organs or even organ systems. Water is the most ubiquitous substance in the chemical reactions of life. The interactions of various aqueous solutions—solutions in which water is the solvent—are continuously monitored and adjusted by a large suite of interconnected feedback systems in your body. Understanding the ways in which the body maintains these critical balances is key to understanding good health.

Order a print copy

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-introduction
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-introduction
Citation information

© Jan 27, 2022 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.