3.2 Key Terms

Question 1

Anabolism

Answer 1

Synthetic, energy- requiring reactions whereby small molecules are built up into larger ones

Question 2

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

Answer 2

The rate at which heat is given off by an organism at complete rest

Question 3

Body mass index (BMI)

Answer 3

Measure of body fat that is the ratio of the weight of the body in kilograms to the square of its height in meters

Question 4

Bolus

Answer 4

Soft mass of chewed food

Question 5

Calorie

Answer 5

Amount of heat energy required to raise the temp of 1 g of water by 1 degree Celsius. The calorie (with a capital C), usually used to indicate the energy content of food, is a kilocalorie

Question 6

Catabolism

Answer 6

Chemical reactions that break down complex organic compounds into simple ones, with the net release of energy

Question 7

Catalyst

Answer 7

Substance that enables a chemical reaction to proceed under different conditions (at a lower temp) than otherwise possible

Question 8

Digestion

Answer 8

Process of making food absorbable by mechanically and enzymatically breaking it down into simpler chemical compounds in the alimentary canal

Question 9

Digestive system

Answer 9

Bodily system concerned with ingestion, digestion and absorption of food

Question 10

Enzyme

Answer 10

Protein serving as a catalyst, a chemical agent that changes the rate of reaction without being consumed by the reaction

Question 11

Esophagus

Answer 11

Muscular tube that in adult humans is about 9 inches long and passes from the pharynx down the neck between the trachea and the spinal column and behind the left bronchus where it pierced the diaphragm slightly to the left of the middle line and joins the cardiac end of the stomach

Question 12

Gallbladder

Answer 12

Membranous muscular sac in which bile from the liver is stored

Question 13

Gastrointestinal tract

Answer 13

Stomach and intestine as a functional unit

Question 14

Large intestine

Answer 14

The more terminal division of the vertebrate intestine that is wider and shorter than the small intestine, typically divided into cecum, colon, and rectum, and concerned especially with the resorption of water and the formation of feces

Question 15

Liver

Answer 15

Largest internal organ in the vertebrate body; performs diverse functions such as producing bile, preparing nitrogenous wastes for disposal, and detoxifying poisonous chemicals in the blood

Question 16

Metabolism

Answer 16

Totality of an organisms chemical reactions, consisting of catabolic and anabolic pathways

Question 17

Monomer

Answer 17

Molecule that can combine with others to form a polymer

Question 18

Oral cavity

Answer 18

Part of the mouth behind the gums and teeth that is bounded above the hard and soft palates and below by the tongue and by the mucous membrane connecting it with the inner part of the mandible

Question 19

Pancreas

Answer 19

Gland with dual functions: the non-endocrine portion secretes digestive enzymes and an alkaline solution into the small intestine via a duct; the endocrine portion secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon into the blood

Question 20

Peristalsis

Answer 20

Successive muscular contractions along the wall of a hollow muscular structure

Question 21

Pharynx

Answer 21

Area in the vertebrate throat where air and food passages cross

Question 22

Polymer

Answer 22

Large molecule composed of repeating structural units or monomers

Question 23

Salivary amylase

Answer 23

Salivary gland enzyme that hydrolyzes starch

Question 24

Salivary gland

Answer 24

Exocrine glands associated with the oral cavity. The secretions of salivary glands contain substances to lubricate food, adhere together chewed pieces into a Bolus, and begin the process of chemical digestion

Question 25

Small intestine

Answer 25

Part of the intestine that lies between the stomach and the color, consists of duodenum, jejeunum, and ileum, secretes digestive enzymes, and is the chief state of the absorption of digested nutrients

Question 26

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

Answer 26

An adenine-containing nucleoside triphosphate that releases free energy when its phosphate bonds are hydrolyzed. This energy is used to drive endergonic reactions in the cell

Question 27

Stomach

Answer 27

A saclike expansion of the alimentary canal of a vertebrate communicating anteriorly with the esophagus and posteriorly with the duodenum and being typically a simple often curved sac with an outer serous coat, a strong complex muscular wall that contracts rhythmically, and a mucous lining membrane that contains gastric glands

Question 28

Substrate

Answer 28

Substance acted upon by an enzyme