Chapter 5: Biology in the Present: Living People Flashcards
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
Anthropometry
Measurement of the human body
Basal metabolic rate BMR
Rate at which an organism’s body, while at rest, expends energy to maintain basic functions
Bergmann’s rule
The principle that an animal’s size is heat related; smaller in hot environments and larger in cold
Cline
Gradual change in some phenotypic characteristic from on population to the next
Deciduous dentition
Also known as baby teeth or milk teeth
Diaphysis
Main midsection, or shaft, portion of a long bone; contains a medullary cavity
Epiphyses
End portion of long bonesl once they fuse to the diaphyses, the bones stop getting longer
Functional adaptations
Biological changes that occur during one’s lifetime, increase fitness in given environment
Homeothermic
Refers to an organism’s ability to maintain a constant body temperature despite great variations in the environmental temperature
Hypercholesterolemia
Presence of high levels of cholesterol in an organism’s blood; this condition may result from the dietary consumption of foods that promote high cholesterol or through inheritance of a genetic disorder
Melanocytes
Produce melanin, located in the skin’s epidermis
Nonmineralized
Refers to bone reduced to its organic component
Nutrition transition
Shift in diet to one that is high in saturated fats and sugar and low in fiber; a cause of obesity
Osteoblasts
Cells that form bone
Osteoclasts
Cells responsible for bone resorption
Osteoporosis
Loss of bone mass
Secular trend
Phenotypic change over time, due to multiple factors; such trends can be + or -
Senescence
Biological changes in later adulthood
Sexual dimorphism
Diff in physical traits between males and females in a species
Skin reflectance
Refers to the amount of light reflected from the skin that can be measured and used to assess skin color
Sun protection factor
SPF
Rating calculated by comparing time needed for protected skin to burn and time needed for unprotected skin to burn
Total daily energy expediture TDEE
Number of calories used by an organism’s body during a 24-hr period
Type 2 Diabetes
Body doesn’t produce insulin, causing a buildup of glucose in the cells
Vasoconstriction
Decrease in blood vessel’s diameter due to the action of a nerve or of a drug; it can also occur in response to cold temps.
Vasodilation
Increase in blood vessel diameter due to action of a nerve or of a drug; can also occur in response to hot temps.
Wolff’s Law
Principle that bone is placed in the direction of functional demand; bone develops where needed and recedes where not
