Final Exam Flashcards
Conformer (Exam 1)
an animal whose internal conditions match the external environment
Homeostasis (Exam 1)
Regulation of the internal environment to maintain stability
Hormone (Exam 1)
are secreted by the endocrine system. They are involved in regulating stress, metabolism, growth, reproduction, etc.
Negative Feedback (Exam 1)
The regulatory process that helps maintain the levels of some product by functioning to cycle back and essentially shut down a stimulus upstream.
Acclimation/Acclimatization (Exam 1)
Types of phenotypic plasticity associated with the chronic physiological timescale. The only difference between them is that acclimation is phenotypic plasticity occurring in a more controlled/lab setting and acclimatization occurs in nature/wild settings
The term “______” refers to the physiological components of animals that enable them to perform as they do. (Exam 1)
mechanism
Assuming the relationship depicted above is isometric, you can likely infer that the type of units being compared are the following (Hint: think about the dimensions being compared) (Exam 1)
y=mass
x length
Given the graph above, what feature would indicate a positively allometric relationship? (Exam 1)
b>2.98
A change in a synapse that would be categorized as synaptic plasticity includes: ______ (Exam 1)
long-term potentiation
Sweating in response to heat is an example of a(n) (Exam 1)
acute change
The electrochemical ion gradient, differential permeability to different ions, and the operation of sodium-potassium ATPase pumps together determine… (Exam 1)
the resting membrane potential
______ channels are responsible for the brief period of hyperpolarization at the end of an action potential (Exam 1)
voltage-gated potassium
The iodothyronines include hormones such as (Exam 1)
thyroxine
In a chemical synapse, the main component responsible for transmission of an impulse from presynaptic to postsynaptic cell is _____ (Exam 1)
any generic excitatory neurotransmitter
Which of the following could NOT be the postsynaptic membrane mechanism during an inhibitory postsynaptic potential? (Exam 1)
Increase in the permeability to Na+
In a neuromuscular junction, which ion enters the axon terminal in response to a presynaptic action potential? (Exam 1)
Ca2+
The glial cells forming myelin sheaths in the CNS are ________ (Exam 1)
Oligodendrocytes
Receptors for steroid hormones are typically found _______ because these hormones are _______ (Exam 1)
inside cells; lipid soluble
The time period during which a second action potential cannot be generated at a location on a cell membrane is referred to as the… (Exam 1)
absolute refractory period
Inhibitory post-synaptic potentials can be caused by the influx of which ion? (Exam 1)
chloride
Physiology is an integrative discipline. What does this mean? Explain how a physiologist must be an integrative biologist. What are the important considerations one must make when attempting a study of animal physiology? Pose a potential research question aimed at understanding animal physiology and explain how and which different biological subdisciplines would be used to answer the question. (Exam 1)
It means that not only does physiology integrate multiple disciplines (Bio, Chem, Physics, Ecology, Evolution), but it also integrated all levels of biological organization. When studying animal physiology it is important to acknowledge the levels of organizations you are interested in as well as the other scientific disciplines that will aid in answering the proposed question.
Q: How do different habitat types impact metabolic function?
For this question, it may be important to understand biology and chemistry as they work hand in hand to accomplish metabolic functions.
Synaptic plasticity is involved in the development of long-term memory and learning. Describe what we mean when we say synaptic plasticity, explain with examples the different ways that synaptic plasticity occurs, and describe two mechanisms through which synaptic plasticity operates. (Exam 1)
Synaptic plasticity describes when synaptic properties change with time and activity.
In sea slugs forms of learning, like habituation and sensitization were explored, showing real-life examples of synaptic plasticity.
Two mechanisms in which synaptic plasticity operates:
Presynaptically: changes in the rate of NT synthesis, storage, and release
Postsynaptically: sensitivity to NT can be increased or decreased under different circumstances
Physiological changes to the external environment occur over varying timescales. Compare and contrast each. Provide an example that demonstrates changes across different time frames. (Exam 1)
Acute: Immediate response (smallest scale)
Ex: sweating in response to heat
Chronic: Physiological changes occur after a longer time period (days, weeks, seasons); acclimation/acclimatization
Ex: an animal’s body insulation changes
Both chronic and acute are reversible and can affect individuals
Evolutionary: Associated with adaptations that come about usually via natural selection (largest scale). It is irreversible and rather than affecting individuals it affects populations over generations
Ex: Bird beak size
We know that temperature and body size influence virtually all physiological functions. Explain how scientists study physiological function as it relates to body size. Include in your answer a discussion of how they study allometry. (Exam 1)
Body size and scaling are considered when studying physiology because more often than not there is a (+) relationship between the two. Allometry allows us to view proportional relationships. If a relation is isometric then we know that growth is 1:1 and proportions are constant. This means during development dimensions will scale up and down with each other. in allometric growth, organism proportions change in with body size and depend on SA, V, and other physical parameters. The allometric equation (Y=aX^b) gives us insight into the scales exponent (b) when plotted and derived. This can give us insight into proportions and growth rates.
b>1 (not always 1): growth is (+) allometric (Y increases faster than X)
b< 1( not always 1): growth is (-) allometric (X increases faster than Y)
b=1 (not always 1): growth is isometric
Scaling is important when studying physiological function because it refers to the structural and functional consequences that come with changes in body size in otherwise similar organisms.
We know that unmyelinated axons conduct action potentials without decrement. However, some known diseases cause demyelination (the breakdown of myelin sheaths). When this happens, the conduction of action potentials is severely inhibited. Why do you think conduction is inhibited in these cases? Here I want you to speculate on the mechanism. Once you have identified the mechanism, speculate on the potential effects of such a demyelinating disease. (Exam 1)
The conductivity of APs is very dependent on myelination. Myelination is important in preventing ion leakage, insulation, and enhancing AP conductivity speed. The presence of myelin sheaths around axons also allows for saltatory conductivity, meaning the AP can jump from node to node. Myelin sheaths allow APs to travel further and faster. Without myelination, the conductivity of the AP is greatly diminished so APs may not be able to get to the next target. AP responses diminish with increased distance from the stimulation due to leaky channels. Leaky channels are not present in sheath areas so the AP occurs over longer distances. Conduction is inhibited in unmyelinated axons due to the presence of more leaky channels, counteracting the membrane potential. Diseases, like MS, in which myelination is diminished, will eventually cause neuronal function to diminish. This can cause physical movement ability to decrease, making a person wheelchair-bound. It will also cause NT signals to not be transmitted efficiently.
Osmoconformer (Exam 2)
an aquatic animal that allows its blood osmotic pressure to match and vary with the environmental osmotic pressure
Sarcomere (Exam 2)
are composed of contractile proteins (myosin & actin) which are responsible for muscle contraction. The arrangement of these proteins gives a striated appearance in skeletal muscle.
Cooperativity (Exam 2)
a behavior that occurs in protein molecules. The binding site of any one site to its ligand may facilitate or inhibit the binding of other sites on the same molecule to their ligands.
Sliding Filament Theory (Exam 2)
is the force of generation caused by the cross-bridges of thick filaments attaching to thin filaments & actively pulling them toward the center of the sarcomere.
Tidal Ventilation (Exam 2)
is when air from the environment flows into a passageway (ex. lungs) and mixes with stale air. Oxygen then diffuses into the blood.
In the body, water is found in the largest quantity in the… (Exam 2)
intracellular fluid
Which of the following scenarios will result in dissolved gas coming out of solution? (Exam 2)
- Collecting cold creek water, sealing the container, and allowing the solution to warm.
- Collecting cold creek water, adding salt, sealing the container, and allowing the solution to warm.
- Collecting cold creek water, adding salt, sealing the container, and keeping the solution at the original temperature
_____ is the law that relates partial pressure and concentration in aqueous solutions. (Exam 2)
Henry’s Law
Cutaneous water loss is primarily dependent on the permeability of the skin and _______ (Exam 2)
difference in vapor pressure inside and outside the body.
