Metabolism vs. Homeostasis

Metabolismnoun

(physiology) The complete set of chemical reactions that occur in living cells.

Metabolismnoun

The act or process, by which living tissues or cells take up and convert into their own proper substance the nutritive material brought to them by the blood, or by which they transform their cell protoplasm into simpler substances, which are fitted either for excretion or for some special purpose, as in the manufacture of the digestive enzymes. Hence, metabolism may be either constructive (anabolism), or destructive (catabolism).

Metabolismnoun

The series of chemical changes which take place in an organism, by means of which food is manufactured and utilized and waste materials are eliminated.

Metabolismnoun

the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some animals

Metabolismnoun

the organic processes (in a cell or organism) that are necessary for life

Metabolism

Metabolism (, from Greek: μεταβολή metabolē, ) is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main purposes of metabolism are: the conversion of food to energy to run cellular processes; the conversion of food/fuel to building blocks for proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and some carbohydrates; and the elimination of metabolic wastes.

Homeostasisnoun

(physiology) The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a state of dynamic constancy; such as the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain a stable temperature.

Homeostasisnoun

Such a dynamic equilibrium or balance.

Homeostasisnoun

The ability and tendency of certain systems to maintain a relatively constant internal state in spite of changes in external conditions; this ability is achieved by the presence of feedback mechanisms which can adjust the state of the system to compensate for changes in the state caused by the external environment. It is exemplified in homeothermal biological systems, such as animals which maintain relatively constant blood temperature and composition in spite of variations in external temperature or the composition of the food ingested.

Homeostasisnoun

metabolic equilibrium actively maintained by several complex biological mechanisms that operate via the autonomic nervous system to offset disrupting changes

Homeostasis

In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. This is the condition of optimal functioning for the organism and includes many variables, such as body temperature and fluid balance, being kept within certain pre-set limits (homeostatic range).