Homeostasis

Question 1

What is homeostasis?

Answer 1

when an individual maintains it’s internal functions and conditions such as temperature and water level

Question 2

What are enzymes?

Answer 2

proteins that aid in important biological functions

Question 3

Define stress.

Answer 3

changes in the environment that stray from an organism’s optimum conditions, this creates a decrease in their ability to survive, grow, or reproduce

Question 4

What’s the difference between morphology and physiology?

Answer 4

Morphology - changes in an organisms structure or form such as body size or body fat %

Physiology - changes in an organisms functions such as heart rate or metabolic rate

Question 5

How do tolerance and avoidance differ?

Answer 5

Tolerance is an organisms ability to maintain homeostasis in unfavorable conditions

Avoidance is an organisms ability to move away from stress and towards its optimum conditions

Question 6

Adaptation vs acclimatization

Answer 6

Adaptation is a short term change to an organism

Acclimatization is a long term change over a populations generations

Question 7

Define dormancy/tupor.

Answer 7

an organisms metabolic activity slows when its environment is not at optimum

Question 8

What does xylem do for a plant?

Answer 8

Moves water up the stem of the plant

Question 9

What does stomata do for a plant?

Answer 9

when opened it allows CO2 to enter and H2O to leave

Question 10

What affects water potential?

Answer 10

Gravity, pressure, osmotic potential, and matric potential

Question 11

Does higher salinity increase or decrease osmotic potential?

Answer 11

higher salinity decreases

Question 12

Does water move from higher to lower potential or lower to higher potential?

Answer 12

higher to lower, it follows the energy gradient

Question 13

Does water move to higher or lower pressure?

Answer 13

Lower pressure

Question 14

What happens when the soil is extremely dry?

Answer 14

embolisms which are bubbles with the xylem

Question 15

What phylum has the best resistance to water loss?

Answer 15

arthropods due to their exoskeleton made of chitin

Question 16

What helps reptiles with water loss?

Answer 16

thick skin that has a fatty coating, and scales

Question 17

What helps mammals and birds with water loss?

Answer 17

thick skin/fur or feathers

Question 18

What group of animals are the most susceptible to water loss?

Answer 18

amphibians due to their soft skin

Question 19

Endotherms vs ectotherms

Answer 19

endotherms use metabolic heat
ectotherms must maintain their body temp vis their external environment

Question 20

What’s a trade-off of being an ectotherm?

Answer 20

they have to rely on their external environment however they don’t spend energy on keeping their body warm

Question 21

What’s a trade-off of being an endotherm?

Answer 21

they can keep enzymes at an optimum and they can have faster movements however, they must rely on metabolic functions to generate heat

Question 22

What’s some trade-offs of being a micro-organism?

Answer 22

since they are so small they cannot move if they encounter stressful environments
they can have very high tolerances (such as the water bear)
they usually have simple body plans