Exam 1: Ch 1 Flashcards
animal physiology
study of how animals function
focuses on the functions of tissues, organs, and organ systems in multicellular animals
what does an animal physiologist investigate
the mechanisms operating in living organisms at all levelsq
animal physiology is above all, an ______ science
integrative
bring together everything known about an animal’s function to create an integrated picture of how the animal operates in its environment
4 things an animal physiologist thinks about specializations
how they came about
how they work
how understanding them might be useful
informs our approaches for medicine, engineering, and the environment
5 levels of study
molecules
cell
tissue
organ
organism
how do we study human physiology?
study humans (limited)
related organisms
diffferent organisms
example…to study heart damage and disease must know…
must know about heartbeat sequence, force, coordination, nutrients + oxygenation, what goes wrong, capacity for repair, diseases/causes
study pythons
changes in pythons
fast for months, eat a large meal
increase digestion, metabolism, cholesterol
rapid organ growth
study mechanisms
components + interaction
organs, tissues, cells, molecules
ex. of specializations @ level of cells or subcellular components
liver cell vs. kidney cell vs. retinal cell vs. neuron
animals that make light and why
firefly (attract mates)
phytoplankton
deep sea fish (attract prey)
squid (camouflage)
jellyfish
fireflies and light
use different flashing patterns to attract mates
most important b/c if you can’t reproduce you die
what animals can make electricity? and why
anything with a nervous system
signals are very fast
eels send out doublet pulses to make prey twitch and stun them
evolution, is it engineering or tinkering?
tinkering
engineering: start from scratch, use best design and all tools to produce
evolution: start from wherever you are, mutation (random change), limited toolbox
benefits of evolution
survival - better adapted to environment
reproduction
lung evolution example in fish
fish have gills, some have the ability to breathe air too
air breathing: vascularized tissue in mouth, stomach, and intestines
where can you find many species of fish that supplement O2 by breathing air? and evolutionary pressure causing this
the Amazon
warm H2O –> less dissolved O2 & more microbes using the O2
low-light at the bottom of the rainforest, so less photosynthesis –> less O2
vertebrate eye vs. octopus eye
vertebrate: nerve fibers in front of retina create blind spot where they pass through the retina
octopus: retina is in front of the nerve fibers so there is no blocking of light or disruption of the retina
regulator
uses internal control mechanisms to moderate internal change in response to external, environmental fluctuations
maintain homeostasis
ex. river otter body temp
benefits and drawbacks of being a regulator
benefits: maintain optimal function (steady conditions within cells)
drawback: costs energy so must increase food intake
conformer
fluctuates w/ the environment by allowing internal conditions to vary w/ external changes
does not maintain homeostasis for internal conditions
ex. largemouth bass body temp
benefits and drawbacks of being a conformer
benefit: no energy expended
drawbacks: all cells subjected to change
do regulators and conformers use the same mechanism for everything?
no, must look at each aspect of physiology separately
ex. bass conform for body temp but regulate for Cl-]
what do organisms use homeostasis for
maintain a steady state of internal balance regardless of external environment
