negative feedback
What negative feedback means in Biology A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of negative feedback
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain negative feedback in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: OCR
A self-correcting system in which the change in glucose concentration triggers the corrective hormone response, and the restored level reduces further hormone secretion.
A mechanism that holds a population close to its carrying capacity, as when a rise in prey supports more predators that push the prey back down.
The fall in blood glucose concentration caused by insulin is detected by the beta cells, which reduce insulin secretion.
The mechanism by which the response returns water potential to normal, reversing the initial change.
Topics that use negative feedback
- Control of blood glucose concentration (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Control of blood water potential (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Populations in ecosystems (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Hormonal communication (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- evaluating evidence
- abiotic components
- abiotic factors
- Adrenaline and fight-or-flight
- Aquaporins
- belt transect
- Beta cell destruction and autoimmune cause
- Blood glucose and salt balance
Using negative feedback in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Biology questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge