The study of adaptive reaction of the organism to low and high temperature.

The study of adaptive reactions of the organism

to low and high temperatures.

Introduction:

      In spite of the fact that the problem of the relationship between a man and the nature has been existing for a long time, the meaning of the harmony between the society and the environment has become one of the most important issue nowadays. The reasons of this problem are rapidly developing mankind in the age of high technologies, constantly changing natural conditions and climate.  

      During the process of evolution a human body has adapted to different natural conditions such as atmosphere pressure, gravity and climate. A human accommodates to the environment using his different civilization sources such as clothes and houses unlike animals which use only their physiological reactions. It decreases the amount of workload and sometimes has negative consequence: it lowers the adaptation ability to the natural factors. In this connection, the biological reaction of a living species on geochemical factors can be reflected in many ways from the adaptation to the illness and even death. The human adaption to the environment directly depends on geographical and climatic habitat, difference in diets and other factors.

The Problem:

All diseases are related to the quality of the environment. Sickness rate is a good indicator of an ecological well-being. We have decided to learn our schoolmates’ health conditions and their physiological mechanisms of the adaptation to the environment’s low and high temperature.

Hypothesis: 

There is a direct dependency between the frequency of the students’ colds, their birthplace, their living place and the ability of our body to realize an adaptive response to an intensive cooling and thermal irritation.

General subject:

The subject of our project has not been chosen accidently. There are 723 students in our school who represent about 15 nationalities from different geographical and climatic zones. This subject has attracted our attention because of the high level of students’ colds. That is why the adaptation mechanisms of our secondary and high school students to the conditions of Moscow climate have become the subject of our research.

Goals and objectives:

1. To learn an adaptive reaction of a body to the intensive cooling and thermal irritation of 5-10 grade students.
2. To estimate the reaction of blood circulation measuring cardiac rate, bloodstream and body temperature.
3. To make test observation in order to update original parameters. All testee’s indicators must be registered and compared with each other.
4. To find out which abiotic environmental factors affect positively and which negative influence on a human’s health conditions.  
5. To focus our attention on biology and ecology. To form the awareness of necessity of the healthy lifestyle.
6. To form the skills of communicative, educative and researching activity.

Methods:

1. Partial-search method during the systematization of analyzed materials after social research and experimental part.
2. Research method during making an experiment with hot and cold water.
3. Verbal-illustrative method: talk, discussion, work with biological bibliography and internet sources.
4.  Reproductive method: to present gained knowledge at the school conference.
5.  Visual method: to observe the tools and the process of the experiment.

Expected results:

• To increase the level of knowledge about adaptation mechanisms of a human body to environmental condition changes.
• To find the reaction of the thermoregulation center and autonomic nervous system on an intensive cooling and thermal irritation.
• To increase the level of practical skills.
• To develop social, motivational and functional competence.
• To develop the ability to use modern information sources and give reasoned assessment.
• To develop communication skills.
• To lead a healthy lifestyle.

The equipment, appliances and supplies:

1. A stopwatch,
2. A tonometer,
3. A thermometer,
4. Cold and hot water.

Work schedule:

1. To conduct a poll;
2. To study the research methods about adaptation reactions of a human body on cooling and thermal irritation;
3. To make an adaptive capacity test to various thermal conditions among the students of our school who are from different climatic zones and have different social status, register vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature),  compare them and analyze.
4. To make a conclusion about climatic and geographical influence on an adaptive capacity of a human body.
5. To make a report.

Theoretical part:

        In biology, an adaptation, also called an adaptive trait, is a trait with current functional role in the life of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. (Wikipedia)

Climatic adaptation is a genetic adaptation to different environmental conditions. Physical adaptations in human beings are seen in response to extreme cold, humid heat, desert conditions and high altitudes.

«Adaptation is the heart and soul of evolution» - says Niles Eldredge, an American biologist and paleontologist.

Undoubtedly, adaptation is a key factor in human evolution. Adapting to the environment is natural change that is reflective of environmental conditions.

Practical (experimental) part

    The process:

1. We have conducted a survey among 5-10 grade students of our school. (the content of the questionnaire see in appendix 1).
2. Study various sources of information, we came to the conclusion that the physiological mechanisms of adaptation to low and high temperatures can be researched using simple tests – dipping  hands into the icy water the hot water. These tests allow to measure the adaptive response of the body to intense cooling and thermal irritation.

The methodology of the experiment

1. measure blood pressure at rest;
2. measure the heart rate;
3. dip a hand into the icy water for 1 minute;
4. re-measure systolic and diastolic pressure and pulse rate after 30-40 s.;
5. describe the feelings skin color changes;
6. measure systolic and diastolic pressure again at rest;
7. measure the pulse rate as long as the parameters are not stable;
8. dip a hand into the hot water for 30-60 sec;
9. make measurements again;
10.  record the feelings the testees experienced.

The results

Social survey analysis:

According to the analysis of the questionnaire data (see Appendix 2) we have found the following:

1. 80 people (83.3%) were born and have lived in Moscow (mild climatic zone), and 16 people (16,7%) of the Southern regions of Russia and other Southern countries. (slide 7, Appendix 2).
2. 12% of the students fall ill very often, 16% of the students have never been ill and 72% of them fall ill but not very often.
3. 16% of the respondents do sports regularly, 16% of them never do sports and 68% of them do sports but not regularly.

Experimental part analysis:

        After dipping the hand into the cold water those students’ blood pressure and pulse rate who were accustomed to the hot climate increased, they observed a difficulty of breath, pallor of the skin, had severe pain after 10 seconds and after 30 seconds it became unbearably painful. However, they had less significant reaction and felt less pain when dipping hands into the hot water. First seconds of immersion the bore hard, but after 10-12 seconds they experienced tingling and no longer felt pain. As for students who were accustomed to the cold climate, they experienced the same feelings with cold water.  After10 seconds their hand went numb, they did not feel pain anymore (see appendix 2).

Conclusion

During the study of adaptive capacity to different temperature conditions among the students from different climatic zones and different social background, we have found that after the experiment, almost half of the testees’ heart rate decreased, that from 16% of the students born in the southern latitudes of our country 7%  get sick very often, and most of them don’t do any sports.

Those students, who regularly do sports, get sick less than those who do not exercise. However, the number of students who play sports and do not get sick is less than those who exercise regularly and still get sick, though not often.

Consequently, not only a lifestyle affects the health of a teenager, but other factors too, such as social environment, diet, regularity of supply, environmental situation.

While performing our study, we have found that the climate and geographic location of birthplace has influence on a human body in different ways.

Factors influencing human health

In our project we tried to find the relationship between the frequency of colds among students, the place of their birth and the body's ability to carry out adaptive response to abiotic factors. The man is certainly capable of adapting to life in the city, but experiencing the stress, defined as the experience of negative, uncomfortable feelings of physiological and psychological nature while facing to the unknown steady stimulus which is a part of the city environment that requires certain reactions. And moving to a new climate zone would be especially stressful for the body.

Actions, should be taken to solve the problem:

Thus, nowadays, when we like to travel a lot, and in a short period of time we may appear in another geographical area, we must not forget that

1. We should prepare our body in advance to produce its quick adaptive reactions;
2. We should grow houseplants in our classrooms. The result would be an improvement of ecological situation of our school environment. Plants play a great esthetic and hygienic role. They improve our mood, moisturize atmosphere, emit healthy chemicals;
3. Regular wet cleaning must be done in the classrooms;
4. We must lead a healthy lifestyle and have a healthy diet. Have disputes and discussions on these subjects;
5. It would be a good idea to set up a company for creating green islands in the territory of our school yard.

Bibliography

Main literature

1. Dragomirov A. G. , Mach R. D Biology 8 class. Ventana-Graf Moscow textbook.

2. Prokhorov, B. B. human Ecology– M.: Publishing center "Academy", 2008.

3. Hatuntsev Yu. l. Ecology and environmental safety M.: Academy, 2004.

Further reading

1. Alekseev V. P. Ocherki ekologii cheloveka – M.: Nauka, 1993.

2. Alekseeva T. I. human Adaptation in different ecological niches of the Earth – M.: Publishing house mnepu, 1998.

3. Gubareva L. I., Mitireva M. O., Churilova T. M. human Ecology (workshop)– M. Lados, 2005.

4. Gubareva L. I. human Ecology (workshop)– M: Vlados, 2003.

5. Pivovarov Yu. p. hygiene and fundamentals of human ecology – Rostov n/D: Phoenix, 2002.

Internet recurses

http://ecodelo.org/97453_adaptatsii_cheloveka_svyazannye_s_prisposobleniem_k_geograficheskim_usloviyam

http://konspekta.net/lek-12919.html; http://e-lib.gasu.ru/eposobia/UMK/voronkova9.pdf

http://um.vn.ua/bgd/refbgd72.html

http://vmede.org/sait/?page=5&id=Gigiena_ecologiya_grigoreva_2008&menu=Gigiena_ecologiya_grigoreva_2008

http://www.libma.ru/biologija/obshaja_yekologija/p4.php

http://www.libma.ru/nauchnaja_literatura_prochee/yekologija_cheloveka/p2.php#metkadoc5    http://dockozlovsky.ru/meditsinskaya-termografiya/termoregulyatsiya-cheloveka/fiziologiya-termoregulyatsii