Final answer:
Homeostasis is the biological concept referring to the maintenance of a stable internal environment within organisms despite external changes. It includes regulating factors like body temperature, pH levels, and glucose concentrations to ensure proper physiological functioning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of homeostasis refers to maintaining steady, stable functioning in our bodies when there are changes in the environment. It is a condition in which a system, such as the human body, is maintained in a more-or-less steady state. Examples of homeostasis include the regulation of body temperature, pH levels, and glucose concentrations. It encompasses various physiological processes that occur to ensure that important variables within the body are kept within narrow ranges, ensuring the survival and proper functioning of an organism despite external fluctuations.
Human beings, for instance, maintain a stable internal body temperature. When faced with cold external temperatures, the body responds by shivering, which generates heat, or constricting blood vessels to reduce heat loss, thereby maintaining a stable internal condition. On the cellular level, homeostatic regulation involves changes in the cell to maintain the set point, which is a dynamic equilibrium rather than an unchanging state. This adaptation is vital for all living organisms and is a fundamental concept in biology.