Ch. 5 -- Biology In The Present: Living People Flashcards
Adult stage
The third stage of life, involving the reproductive years and senescence
Aging
The process of maturation
Allen’s Rule
The principle that an animal’s limb lengths are heat-related
Limbs are longer in hot environments and shorter in cold environments
Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
The rate at which an organism’s body, while at rest, expends energy to maintain basic bodily functions
Measured by the amount of heat given off per kilogram of body weight
Basal metabolic requirement
The minimum amount of energy needed to keep an organism alive
Bergmann’s Rule
The principle that an animal’s size is heat-related
Smaller bodies are adapted to hot environments, and larger bodies are adapted to cold environments
Bone mass
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Cline
A gradual change in some phenotypic characteristic from one population to the next
Cognitive abilities
Refers to the capacity of the brain to perceive, process, and judge information from the surrounding environment
Deciduous dentition
Also know as baby teeth or milk teeth, this is the first set of teeth, which form in utero and erupt shortly after birth
Diaphyses
The main midsection, or shaft, portions of long bones
Each contains a medullary cavity
Epiphyses
The end portions of long bones
Once they fuse to the diaphyses, the bones stop growing longer
Functional adaptations
Biological changes that occur during an individual’s lifetime, increasing the individual’s fitness in the given environment
Growth velocity
The speed with which an organism grows in size, often measured as the amount of growth per year
Homeostasis
The maintenance of the internal environment of an organism within an acceptable range
Homeothermic
Refers to an organism’s ability to maintain a constant body temperature despite great variations in environmental temperature
Hypercholesterolemia
X
Hypothermia
A condition in which an organism’s body temperature falls below the normal range, which may lead to the loss of proper body functions and, eventually, death
Hypoxia
Less than usual sea-level amount of oxygen in the air or in the body
Intrauterine
Refers to the area within the uterus
Lactation
The production and secretion of milk from a female mammal’s mammary glands, providing a good source for the female’s young
Life history
The timing and details of growth events and development events from conception through senescence and death
Macronutrients
Essential chemical nutrients, including fat, carbohydrates, and protein, that a body needs to live and to function normally
Melanin
A brown pigment that determines the darkness or lightness of a human’s skin color due to its concentration in the skin
Melanocytes
Melanin-producing cells located in the skin’s epidermis
Menarche
Refers to the onset of menstruation in an adolescent female
Menopause
The cessation of the menstrual cycle, signifying the end of a female’s ability to bear children
Micronutrients
Essential substances, such as minerals or vitamins, needed in very small amounts to maintain normal body functioning
Motor skills
Refers to the performance of complex movements and actions that require the control of nerves and muscles
Nonmineralized
Refers to bone reduced to its organic component
Osteoblasts
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Osteoclasts
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Osteoporosis
The loss of bone mass often due to age, causing the bones to become porous, brittle, and easily fractured
Postnatal stage
The second stage of life, beginning with birth, terminating with the shift to the adult stage, and involving substantial increases in height, weight, and brain growth and development
Prenatal stage
The first stage of life, beginning with the zygote in utero, terminating with birth, and involving multiple mitotic events and the differentiation of the body into appropriate segments and regions
Rigidity (bone)
X
Secular trend
A phenotypic change due to multiple factors
Can be positive or negative
Senescence
Refers to an organism’s biological changes in later adulthood
Sexual dimorphism
A difference in a physical attribute between the males and females of a species
Skin reflectance
Refers to the amount of light reflected from the skin that can be measured and used to assess skin color
Stressors
Any factor that can cause stress in an organism, potentially affecting the body’s proper functioning and its homeostasis
Sun protection factor (SPF)
The rating calculated by comparing the length of time needed for protected skin to burn to the length of time needed for unprotected skin to burn
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)
The number of calories used by an organism’s body during a 24-hour period
Type 2 diabetes
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Vasoconstriction
The decrease in blood vessels’ diameter due to the action of a nerve or of a drug
Can also occur in response to cold temperatures
Vasodilation
The increase in blood vessels’ diameter due to the action of a nerve or of a drug
Can also occur in response to hot temperatures
Weaning
The process of substituting other foods for the milk produced by the mother
Wolff’s Law
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