Question

What is meant by Control and Coordination?

Answer 1

Hint: Control and Coordination are important processes for a living organism which is brought about by the nervous system. They are essential for the proper functioning of an organism and the regulation of different functions of different systems.

Complete answer:
Control is defined as the power of restraining and regulating by which a process can be started, regulated in pace to speed up or slow down or stop completely.
Coordination can be defined as the working together of the different systems of an organism in order to produce an appropriate reaction to stimuli.

Additional Information
Control and coordination are brought about by the nervous system and the chemical control and coordination occurs with the help of endocrine systems. It regulates all the systems of the body to ensure proper coordination and efficient functioning of an organism.
They are important for an organism to adapt to the changes and perform important functions like metabolism, homeostasis, etc. It also helps in responding to stimuli that help in the fight, or flight responses. This occurs through the PNS and ANS that comprise the nervous system and control the musculoskeletal systems for such responses.
Thus, control and coordination are important processes for the survival of an organism.
In humans, there is an elaborate and well-developed neural system. It is divided into two parts:
1. The Central Nervous System (CNS): It lies along the central axis of the body. It includes the brain and spinal cord. All the information of the external and internal environment is received by the various sensory receptors present in the body. Thereafter, this information is transmitted to the central neural system. Here, the processing of information takes place.
2. The Peripheral nervous system (PNS): It lies along the periphery of the body. The PNS comprises all the nerves of the body associated with the CNS.
The PNS is divided into two types:
1. Somatic Neural system: It relays impulses from the CNS to the skeletal muscles of the body. It consists of efferent nerve fibres which transmit the regulatory impulses from the CNS to the concerned skeletal muscle.
2. Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): It transmits impulses from the CNS to the involuntary organs such as the heart, lungs, etc., smooth muscles in the wall of internal organs, blood vessels, etc. Hence, it consists of the efferent nerve fibres which transmit the regulatory impulses from CNS to the involuntary muscles, etc.
Basically, ANS is a division of the PNS which plays an important role in the fine tuning of the body’s internal environment. Structurally and functionally, the ANS is further classified as a Sympathetic Neural system and Parasympathetic neural system.

Note:
Plants do not have nerves and muscles, but they need control and coordination for survival too. They regulate the nutrients according to their needs and environmental conditions, thus exhibiting control and coordination. For example, if a plant is in a scarcity of water, it closes the stomata which results in a reduced loss of water to the environment by transpiration. Another example is the bending of the shoot towards the source of light.
Plants coordinate their behaviour by using certain plant hormones or phytohormones and respond to environmental changes.
- Parasympathetic and sympathetic neural systems both are antagonists of each other and have an antagonistic effect on the organs.