Animal: Lecture 1 Flashcards
What are the 5 core concepts of biology related to animal development and physiology?
- Structure & Function (shape and makeup affects function directly)
- Evolution (how they appear?)
- Systems (all connected)
- Information Flow (chemical or electrical)
- Transformations of Energy and Matter (we need energy and it needs to be useable)
What is an animal?
- Heterotrophic
- Multicellular
- Mitochondria
- Lack cell walls
- Regulatory (Hox) genes
- Movement at some point in development
What are the functions that animals need to carry out?
- Reproduction and development
- Cellular respiration/gas exchange between internal and external environments
- Digestion
- Sleep
- Excretion
- Obtain matter and energy and transport the energy throughout the body
- Protection from external environment or pathogens or heat or cold, etc.
- Maintenance of water & salt concentrations in the internal environment
- Support and movement of the structures that we need to keep upright and moving
- Coordination of bodily functions, without having to think about every little thing.
How is structure related to function?
Hierarchical Organization: from small to large!
Hierarchical organization?
- Molecules
- Cells
- Tissues
- Organs
- Organ systems
- Organisms
Molecules?
4 main molecules:
- Nucleic acids
- Lipids
- Proteins
- Carbohydrates
Organelles?
Each have a distinct function in a cell:
- Mitochondria
- Nucleus
- Cell Membrane
- ETC
Tissues?
Similar cells groups together to serve a certain purpose. Tissues are usually held together through a kind of matrix, like fibres or membranes. Connective tissues like bones, cartilage, or blood.
Types of tissues?
- Epithelial - lines the surfaces of the body
- Muscle - made up of fibres that contract
- Nervous - cells with projections that transmit electrical signals
- Connective
- loose connective tissues as a padding under skin, etc.
- bones and cartilage
- blood is made up of cells in a liquid matrix
Organs?
Structures that serve a specific purpose:
- Stomach
- Liver
- Lungs
Organ systems?
- digestive
- circulatory
Organisms?
fully functioning, the biggest structure!
How is structure related to function?
Structure enables function:
- A structure’s physical and chemical characteristics influence its interactions with other structures, and therefore its function.
What are functional trade-offs?
Specialization for one function may limit a structure’s ability to perform
another function
- It is impossible to optimize for all parameters
Examples of functional trade-offs?
Organisms that mainly have cartilage in their bodies:
- high flexibility
- low strength
Organisms mainly with bone:
- low flexibility
- high strength
Why might functional trade-offs occur?
We might be well-suited for one thing, but not well-suited for another thing.
- Through evolution, certain features favour one direction, while other features favour different directions
- The best one that leads to the most survival will be chosen/persist
What kind of structure will be best for allowing molecules to move between two compartments?
(B) Three layers, all very thin. Allows easy transport of materials between the layers as it takes less time.
Evolution of structures?
Through natural selection, organisms become more adapted to their environment.
- Usually some type of evolutionary pressure on the species when this occurs…
Example of evolving structures?
Fish with spiky backs vs. smooth:
- Invasive species that is very quick comes in
- Influences the fitness of the population. faster = more survival = fitter population
- Better structures in an environment might be passed on for that function
- therefore, individuals with functions that persist are much more well-adapted
Grey Seal structure?
- Not well suited to land environment, as it is hard for them to move very fast or well.
- Really well-suited to the water. fusiform body has fat and blubber for insulation in water and for buoyancy as well.
Structure and environment?
Structures make sense in context
of the animal’s environment
How do we know if something is an animal?
- multicellular
- heterotrophic
- movement
- no cell walls
- hox genes
- coordination
- reproduction
Biological structures interaction?
- Molecules:
Proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids are organized into… - Organelles:
Which make up the… - Cells:
are organized into… - Tissues:
Four tissue types (epithelial, muscular, connective, nervous) combine in different ways to form the… - Organs:
Which work together as… - Organ Systems:
That carry out a larger function, and together they carry out all of the physiological functions of the… - Organisms:
Change in structures/components?
A change in one component of a network can affect many other components
- Even if they are in a hierarchical kind of set-up, these structures interact with each other within these complex systems.