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In the Nineteenth Century, pineapples were really rare and expensive. Today, thanks to hormones which delay ripening, they are much cheaper and more common.

Biology - Hormones (AQA)

Hormones are powerful chemical messengers. They travel in your blood, coordinating growth, mood, and metabolism so your body responds smoothly to changes inside and outside.

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Fascinating Fact:

Adrenaline prepares the body for action, it increases heart rate, widens airways and redirects blood to muscles.

In GCSE Biology (AQA), you study how hormones help coordinate and control the body. You compare nervous and hormonal responses and learn how glands like the pancreas and thyroid maintain homeostasis.

Key Terms

Hormone: A chemical messenger released by an endocrine gland and carried in the blood to target organs.
Endocrine gland: A gland that makes hormones and releases them directly into the bloodstream.
Adrenaline: A hormone from the adrenal glands that helps the body respond quickly in stressful situations.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is a hormone in GCSE Biology?

In GCSE Biology, a hormone is a chemical messenger produced by an endocrine gland, transported in the blood, and used to coordinate and control body functions.

Which glands produce hormones in the human body?

Key endocrine glands include the pituitary gland, thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries in females, and testes in males, each releasing specific hormones with different roles.

How does adrenaline affect the body during stress?

During stress, adrenaline is released into the blood, making the heart beat faster, increasing breathing rate, and raising blood glucose so muscles are ready for rapid movement.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

The first birth-control pills contained higher amounts of oestrogen than the pills taken today. Modern birth-control pills contain much less oestrogen. Some only contain progesterone. Why has this changed?

Because progesterone reduces the side effects

Because progesterone is much more effective

Because progesterone is a lot cheaper

Because progesterone is easier to swallow

The original high oestrogen pills caused significant side effects in women, such as changes in weight, mood and blood pressure

2 .

What are hormones?

Proteins secreted by endocrine glands

Proteins secreted by the main organs of the body

Proteins that carry information betweeen nerve cells

Proteins that carry messages from your brain to your muscles

Hormones control many aspects of your body. They regulate the amount of water in your blood and your blood sugar for example. They also have a huge role in puberty and fertility

3 .

Why would a gardener use rooting powder?

It is cheaper than buying compost

They can produce many plants from cuttings more easily

It gives vegetables a bigger root system

It slows down the growth rate of plants

Not all cuttings will succeed. Rooting powders (and liquids) contain hormones that stimulate root growth so dipping a cutting into rooting compounds increases the chances of success

4 .

How are hormones transported round the body?

Via the nervous system

Via the lymphatic system

Via the circulatory system

Via the respiratory system

Glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream

5 .

Which hormone is used to treat diabetes?

FSH

Insulin

Progesterone

Most insulin is now made from genetically engineered bacteria

6 .

Which of the following uses hormones?

Selective weedkiller

Rooting powder

Neither of the above

Both of the above

Hormones in selective weedkillers make the weeds grow too fast so that they collapse and die

7 .

Which of the following glands is found in the brain?

Adrenal

Pancreas

Hypothalamus

Thyroid

This gland is extremely important and forms the link between the nervous system and the endocrine (hormone) system

8 .

In the Nineteenth Century, pineapples were really rare and expensive. Why are exotic fruits much more widely available nowadays?

Because more different fruits grow

Because fruit growers use hormones to make their exotic fruits grow bigger and faster

Because feeding the fruit trees with growth hormone makes them produce a lot more fruit

Because the exotic fruits are sprayed with hormones that delay ripening

This means that they will not ripen until they are in the shops wheras in the past, the fruits ripened on the journey and most of them were too ripe to sell when they reached the shops. Exotic fruits are usually grown a long way from Britain and face a long journey to get here

9 .

Which hormone is likely to be used in fertility treatments?

FSH

Insulin

Progesterone

FSH stimulates the egg cells to mature which can then be used for IVF

10 .

Where is oestrogen produced?

In the ears

In the adrenal glands

In the large intestine

In the ovaries

Oestrogen is the hormone responsible for the regulation and development of the female reproductive system and secondary sexual characteristics. In books and articles from the USA, you will see it spelt 'Estrogen' - it is the same hormone, just spelt differently

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Hormones in human reproduction - AQA

Author: Kev Woodward (PGCE, Science & Chemistry Teacher, Quiz Writer)