Endocrine System

Muhtasari

A goat that will not settle for the buck, a broiler that refuses to put on weight no matter how well it is fed, a dairy cow that grows thin and shaky just after calving: none of these problems can be seen by opening the animal up and looking for a damaged organ. The cause is chemical, not structural, and it is carried in the blood rather than along a nerve. A handful of small glands scattered through the body are quietly running the animal's growth, its metabolism, its response to fright and its readiness to breed, all by releasing tiny amounts of hormone straight into the bloodstream.

In this lesson you will meet the endocrine system: what it is, the five glands WAEC expects you to know, the hormone each one produces and what that hormone actually does in the body. You will also learn how this slower, blood-borne messenger system works together with the fast nervous system, and see how farmers put that knowledge to work, from regulating growth promoters to synchronising a whole herd's oestrus for one planned mating season.

Malengo

  1. Define the endocrine system
  2. Identify the major endocrine glands in a farm animal
  3. State the hormones produced by the major endocrine glands
  4. Explain the functions of hormones in growth and reproduction
  5. Explain the relationship between the endocrine system and the nervous system

Maelezo ya Somo

A poultry farmer near Ibadan feeds two batches of chicks the same ration, yet one reaches table weight a week ahead of the other. A goat rearer in Sokoto cannot tell why one doe never comes on heat. Neither puzzle is solved at the feed trough: both trace back to the endocrine glands and the hormones they release, quietly governing growth, metabolism and reproduction from inside the animal.

Tathmini ya Somo

Hongera kwa kukamilisha somo la Endocrine System. Sasa kwa kuwa umechunguza dhana na mawazo muhimu, ni wakati wa kuweka ujuzi wako kwa mtihani. Sehemu hii inatoa mazoezi mbalimbali maswali yaliyoundwa ili kuimarisha uelewaji wako na kukusaidia kupima ufahamu wako wa nyenzo.

Utakutana na mchanganyiko wa aina mbalimbali za maswali, ikiwemo maswali ya kuchagua jibu sahihi, maswali ya majibu mafupi, na maswali ya insha. Kila swali limebuniwa kwa umakini ili kupima vipengele tofauti vya maarifa yako na ujuzi wa kufikiri kwa makini.

Tumia sehemu hii ya tathmini kama fursa ya kuimarisha uelewa wako wa mada na kubaini maeneo yoyote ambapo unaweza kuhitaji kusoma zaidi. Usikatishwe tamaa na changamoto zozote utakazokutana nazo; badala yake, zitazame kama fursa za kukua na kuboresha.

  1. Which gland is often called the master gland because it controls the activity of several other endocrine glands? A. Thyroid B. Pancreas C. Pituitary D. Adrenal Answer: C
  2. The hormone that mainly regulates the rate of metabolism in a farm animal is: A. Insulin B. Thyroxine C. Adrenaline D. Progesterone Answer: B
  3. Which hormone is released by the pancreas to lower blood glucose level? A. Glucagon B. Cortisol C. Insulin D. Oestrogen Answer: C
  4. The hormone chiefly responsible for maintaining pregnancy in a farm animal is: A. Oestrogen B. Progesterone C. Testosterone D. Adrenaline Answer: B
  5. Which endocrine gland releases its hormone within seconds of a frightening stimulus, acting directly under nervous control? A. Thyroid B. Pancreas C. Adrenal medulla D. Ovary Answer: C