Control and coordination keep an organism’s responses organised. In animals this is done by the nervous system and the endocrine system. The nervous system uses neurons to carry electrical impulses; a reflex action follows a quick pathway called the reflex arc, while the brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system that processes information and controls voluntary and involuntary actions. The endocrine system uses chemical messengers called hormones — such as insulin, adrenaline, thyroxine and growth hormone — that travel in the blood to regulate slower, long-term processes. Plants coordinate without nerves: they show movements such as tropisms (growth towards or away from a stimulus like light or gravity) and use plant hormones like auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins and abscisic acid to control growth, ripening and responses to the environment.
Nervous system and neuronsReflex action and reflex arcHuman brainHormones and the endocrine systemCoordination in plants
Key terms
Neuron
A nerve cell that conducts electrical impulses.
Reflex arc
The nerve pathway followed in an automatic reflex action.
Hormone
A chemical messenger secreted by an endocrine gland into the blood.
Tropism
Directional growth of a plant in response to a stimulus.
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