Exam 1 study guide_Final Flashcards
Define physiology.
The study of body functions (mechanisms of action, cause and effect sequences of physical and chemical processes)
List and describe the levels of organization in the body.
- Chemical – atoms (C, H, O, N) and molecules (protein, carbs, fat, nucleic acids)
- Cellular
- Tissue
- Organ
- Body System
- Organism
Define cells.
smallest entities capable of carrying out life processes (body’s structural and functional building blocks)
Define tissues.
groups of cells that have a similar structure and act together to perform a specific function.
Define organs.
two or more types of tissue that act together to perform functions
Define Body system
collection of organs that perform related functions, interact to accomplish a common activity essential for survival of whole body
Name the four primary types of tissue and give an example of each.
- Epithelial – cells specialized for exchanging material (epithelial sheets and secretory glands)
- Connective - few cells within abundance of extracellular material (loose connective tissue, tendons, bone)
- Muscle – specialized cells for contracting (smooth, cardiac, skeletal)
- Nervous – specialized cells for initiating and transmitting electrical impulses (brain, spinal cord)
What are Glands?
Epithelial tissue derivatives specialized for secreting
What are the two types of glands?
Exocrine – secrete through ducts to the outside of the body (or cavity to outside (eg. sweat, digestive juices); Endocrine – release hormones into blood (eg. Pancreas secretes insulin)
Define secretion.
When stimulated, release of specific products from a cell that were produced in the cell
Distinguish among external environment, internal environment, intracellular fluid, extracellular fluid, plasma, and interstitial fluid.
external environment – outside body
internal environment – inside body (ECF)
intracellular fluid – fluid within cell
extracellular fluid – fluid outside of cells
plasma – fluid portion of blood
interstitial fluid – fluid that bathes all cells
Define homeostasis.
Maintenance of a dynamic steady state in the internal environment (essential for each cell’s survival and each cell contributes)
List factors that must be homeostatically maintained
Concentration of: nutrients, O2 and CO2, waste products, water, salts (and other electrolytes); pH; volume and pressure; temperature
Define negative feedback.
A change in a control variable triggers a response that drives a change in the opposite direction of initial change (opposes change)
Define positive feedback.
A change in a control variable triggers a response that drives the variable in the same direction (amplifies change)
Define feedforward mechanism
Respond in anticipation of a change in a regulated variable
Compare negative feedback and positive feedback.
Opposes change vs. amplifies change
What is a specialized cell function?
Function essential for survival of the organism
What are the basic functions performed by each cell?
- Obtain O2 and nutrients
- Energy generating chemical reactions
- Eliminate wastes
- Make proteins and other cell components
- Control movement of materials between cell and environment
- Move material throughout
- Responding to the environment
- reproduction
Explain the difference between basic cell functions and specialized cell functions and indicate in what way each of these categories of functions is essential for life in a multicellular organism.
Specialized cell functions are essential for the survival of the organism; basic cell functions essential for the survival of the cell
Jennifer R. has the “stomach flu” that is going around campus and has been vomiting profusely for the past 24 hours. Not only has she been unable to keep down fluids or food, but she also has lost the acidic digestive juices secreted by the stomach that are normally reabsorbed back into the blood farther down the digestive tract. In what ways might this condition threaten to disrupt homeostatically maintained factors? What factors are moved away from normal by her profuse vomiting? What body systems respond to resist these changes?
Fluid loss = low plasma volume;
acid loss effect pH
Urinary system reduces water and acid eliminated
Respiratory system adjusts rate of CO2 removal
Circulatory system maintains blood pressure despite fluid loss
Nervous and endocrine regulate response
Considering the nature of negative-feedback control and the function of the respiratory system, what effect do you predict that a decrease in CO2in the internal environment would have on how rapidly and deeply a person breathes?
Slow shallow breaths allows CO2 to accumulate to normal levels
State the principles of the cell theory.
- Cell smallest structural and functional unit capable of carrying out life processes
- Cell function depends on structural properties
- Building block of organism
- Organism’s structure and function depends on collective structure and function properties of its cells
- New cells arise from preexisting cells
- Therefore cells of all organisms similar in structure and function
State the functions of DNA.
(1) Genetic blueprint during cell replication and (2) directing protein synthesis