Animal Physiology Exam 1 Flashcards
Animal physiology
the integrated study of how biological systems work; integrates multiple disciplines like evolution, chemistry, physics ect…
What are the levels of biological organization? (bottom to top)
atoms, molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ system, organism
What’s at the core of the anatomical physiological wheel?
nervous/endocrine
What surrounds the anatomical physiological wheel (connects everything)?
bloodstream
What are the two main questions of animal physiology?
(1) What is the mechanism by which a function is accomplished?
(2) What is the origin of that function?
Mechanism
components of living organisms that enable animals to perform
Origin
The evolutionary processes that conspired to produce a mechanism. The evolutionary significance of mechanisms
What is the key process of evolutionary origin?
natural selection
natural selection
increase in frequency of genes that increase fitness
adaption
traits (or physiological mechanisms) that are products of evolution by natural selection
What are the modes of natural selection?
1) directional selection
2) stabilizing selection
3) disruptive selection
Directional selection
selection favors 1 extreme of phenotype in a population
Stabilizing selection
extremes aren’t viable, so favors the intermediate
Disruptive selection
intermediate phenotype is not favored, but the extremes are; two phenotypes have high fitness; bimodal
Individuals don’t experience what in their life-time? What does?
evolution; populations
What indicates mode of natural selection?
changes in mean and/or standard deviation
Thermal conformity
both internal temp and external temp change 1:1
Conformer benefits
energy efficient
Conformer costs
death & limited viable habitats
Regulators
able to maintain internal conditions despite change in external conditions
Regulators benefits
can inhabit many places
Regulators costs
takes a lot of energy
Claude Bernard
- Physiological regulation implies that function occurs best over a specified range of conditions
- 1st to recognize the stability of conditions humans maintain in their blood
- studied blood glucose
Walter Cannon
- “internal constancy”
- regulatory mechanisms exist to maintain internal stability
- AKA homeostasis
What were Walter Cannons three postulates?
1) Nervous system preserves the normal conditioning of the body
2) Tonic activity (continuous) of a system can be modulated up & down
3) There are factors that have opposing effects = antagonistic controls
Hormone
endocrine system
Nerves
nervous system
Hormones & nerves are apart of what?
long-distance response loop
Negative feedback loop
An upstream product or signal of a pathway inhibits an earlier step in that same pathway
Positive feedback
an upstream stimulus amplifies an initial response
e.g. Oxytocin & birth
Physiological timescales
timeframes in which physiology changes
Responses to external environment
Acute, chronic, evolutionary
Changes in individuals
acute, chronic
Changes in populations
evolutionary
Chronic
phenotypic plasticity (acclimation); usually reversible; On a graph = elevation on the y-axis (differences between two lines)
Acute response on a graph
the slope
Evolutionary
- changes in populations & across generations
- adaptation
- irreversible change in genotype & phenotype
Physical properties are linked to what?
function
Chemical laws govern what?
molecular interactions
Electrical laws describe what?
membrane function
Body size influences what?
biochemical and physical patterns
Many traits scale in a systematic way with what?
body size
e.g. bigger animal = longer gestation
Isometric growth
- proportions remain constant
- each dimension is scaled up or down by same amount
- grow 1:1 fashion
Allometric growth
- changes in body proportions with changes in body size
- different rates of growth of different parts
- The proportions vary depending on the rates at which SA, Volume, & other physical parameters change with size
Size impacts what?
SA:V, thermoregulation, respiration, bone & muscle structure, water balance
As size gets bigger, the SA:V ratio what?
decreases
Higher SA:V ratio means what?
exchange occurs quickly compared to small SA:V
What constrains organisms to certain environments?
SA:V
What is the allometric equation?
Y = aX^b
What tells us if its isometric or allometric growth?
b = scaling exponent
If b = 1
isometric
If b < 1
negative allometry (less than isometric expectation)
If b > 1
positive allometry (more than isometric expectation)
The scaling exponent (b) is only true when what?
comparing like dimensions
e.g. length to length
Isometry of head length vs body length
m1/m1, so b = 1/1 = 1
Isometry of head length vs body mass
m1/m3, so b = 1/3 = .33
Isometry of surface area vs body mass
m2/m3, so b = 2/3 = .67
scaling
the structural and functional consequences of changes in size of otherwise similar organisms
As SA increases, volume increases by what?
2/3 of SA (i.e. volume increases less rapidly)
Smaller objects have what relative to their volumes compared to larger objects?
larger SA
Volume increase more rapidly than does SA, so what?
SA:V decreases
Small differences on a log-log plot translate into what?
large differences when plotted arithmetically
By plotting on a log-scale, we can assess what 2 important aspects of the scaling relationship?
1) slope (b) = rate of change in trait relative to body size
2) proportionality coefficient (a) = y-intercept
An order of magnitude increase on the arithmetic scale represents what?
an increase of one unit on the log-scale
Kleiber’s law
metabolic rate scales to the 3/4 power of body mass; varies with scale of study (individual vs across species)
What systems integrate and coordinate all other functional systems?
Nervous & endocrine
Basic unit of the Nervous system?
Neuron
Nerves are bundles of what?
neuron axons
Neurons and their support (glial) cells make up what?
Nervous system
How is information sent over long distances in the body?
Neurons and Endocrine cell
How does a neuron work?
signal - action potential along axon - release chemical (NT) into synaptic cleft/gap - NT binds receptors -response
How do endocrine cells work?
Synthesizes and secretes chemicals (hormones) into the bloodstream - travels to target - response
Response loop
stimulus - receptor - afferent pathway (sensory) - integrating center (CNS) - efferent pathway (motor) - effector - response
Functional classes of neurons
sensory (afferent) neurons, interneurons, motor (efferent) neurons