Unit 1 Flashcards
6 levels of structural organization
- Chemical
- Cellular
- Tissue
- Organ
- System
- Organismal
What is the Chemical Level of organization
Atoms (the smallest units of matter) and molecules (2+ atoms joined together)
What is the Cellular Level of organization
Molecules combine to form cells (the basic structural and functional units of an organism that are composed of chemicals)
What is the Tissue Level of organization
Groups of cells and the materials surrounding them that perform a particular fxn
What is the Organ Level of organization
Composed of 2+ different types of tissues and have specific fxns and typically recognizable shapes
What is the System Level of organization
Consists of related organs with a common fxn
What is the Organismal Level of organization
All the parts of the human body functioning together
4 types of tissue
- Epithelial
- Connective
- Muscular
- Nervous
6 basic life processes
- Metabolism = catabolism & anabolism
- Responsiveness = body’s ability to detect and respond to changes
- Movement
- Growth = increase in body size that results from an increase in the size of existing cells, an increase in the # of cells or both
- Differentiation = the development of a cell from an unspecialized to specialized state
- Reproduction = formation of new cells OR production of new individual
Catabolism
Breakdown of complex chemical substances into simpler components
Anabolism
Building of complex chemical substances from smaller, simpler components
Homeostasis
A dynamic condition; the maintenance of relatively stable conditions in the body’s internal environment
Body fluids
Dilute, watery solutions containing dissolved chemicals that are found inside cells and surrounding them
2 types of fluid
- ICF (within cells)
- ECF (surrounds cells)
Interstitial fluid
ECF that fills the narrow spaces between the cells of tissues (e.g., blood plasma, lymph, synovial fluid)
How the cardiovascular system contributes to homeostasis
Transports O2 and nutrients through the body:
- O2 and nutrients diffuse into interstitial fluid via blood capillaries
- O2 and nutrients are taken up by cells and metabolized for energy
- During metabolization, cells produce waste which enter interstitial fluid and move across blood capillary walls into plasma
- Cardiovascular system transports waste to the appropriate organ for elimination to the external environment
2 regulatory systems to control homeostasis
- Nervous system
- Endocrine system
What does the nervous system do
Sends electrical signals (nerve impulses or action potentials) to organs that counteract (quick change)
What does the endocrine system do
Glands secrete messenger molecules called hormones into the blood (slow change)
Feedback systems (loops)
A cycle of events in which the status of a body condition is monitored, evaluated, changed, monitored, reevaluated, etc.
3 basic components of feedback systems
- Receptor
- Control center
- Effector
Receptor (afferent pathway)
body structure that monitors changes in a controlled condition and sends inputs to a control center
Control center (efferent pathway)
Sets the narrow range within which a controlled condition should be maintained, evaluates the input it receives from receptors, and generates output commands when they are needed
Effector
Body structure that receive outputs from the control center and produces a response or effect that changes the controlled condition
Negative feedback
Reverses a change in a controlled condition (regulate conditions that remain stable over long periods, e.g., blood pressure)
Positive feedback
Strengthens or reinforces a change in one of the body’s controlled conditions (reinforce conditions that don’t happen often, e.g., childbirth)
Anatomical position
Standard position of reference for regions of the body
Prone position
Lying face down
Supine position
Lying face up
6 principal regions of the body
- Head
- Neck
- Trunk
- Upper limbs
- Lower limbs
- Groin
Head (region)
Skull + Face
Trunk (region)
Chest, abdomen, pelvis
Upper limbs (region)
Attached to the trunk and includes the shoulder, armpit, arm (shoulder to elbow), forearm (elbow to wrist), wrist and hand
Lower limb (region)
Attached to the trunk and includes the buttock, thigh (buttock to knee), leg (knee to ankle), ankle and foot
Directional terms
Words that describe the position of one body part relative to another; most can be grouped into pairs that have opposite meanings
Superior
Towards the head or the upper part of a structure
Inferior
Away from the head, or the lower part of a structure
Anterior
Nearer to or at the front of the body
Posterior
Nearer to or at the back of the body
Medial
Nearer to the midline
Lateral
Farther from the midline
Intermediate
Btw 2 structures
Ipsilateral
On the same side of the body as another structure
Contralateral
On the opposite side of the body as another structure
Proximal
Nearer to the attachment of a limb to the trunk
Distal
Farther from the attachment of a limb to the trunk
Superficial
Toward or on the surface of the body
Deep
Away from the surface of the body
Planes
Imaginary flat surfaces that pass through body parts
Sagittal plane
Vertical plane that divides the body / organ into right and left sides:
1. Midsagittal plane (through the midline)
2. Parasagittal plane (not through the midline)
Frontal plane
Divides the body / organ into anterior and posterior portions
Transverse plane
Divides the body / organ into anterior and posterior portions
Oblique plane
Passes through the body / organ at on oblique angle
Sections
A cut of the body / organ made along one of the planes
Body cavities (4 overarching)
Spaces that enclose internal organs which are separated by bones, muscles and ligaments
1. cranial
2. vertebral
3. Thoracic
4. Abdominopelvic
Cranial cavity
A hallow space of the head composed of the cranial bones
Vertebral canal
Bones of the vertebral column (backbone)
Thoracic cavity (3 zones)
Formed by the ribs, muscles of the chest, sternum and thoracic portion of the vertebral column
1. pericardial cavity (x1) = around the heart
2. pleural cavities (x2) = around the lungs
3. mediastinum = btw the lungs
Abdominopelvic cavity (2 cavities)
From the diaphragm to the groin, encircled by the abdominal muscular wall and bones/muscles of the pelvis
1. Abdominal cavity
2. Pelvic cavity
Abdominal cavity
Contains: stomach, spleen, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, most of large intestine
Pelvic cavity
Contains: urinary bladder, some large intestine, organs of reproductive system
Membrane
A thin, pliable tissue that covers, lines, partitions or connects structures
Serous membrane
A double-layered membrane that covers the viscera within the thoracic and abdominal cavities and lines the walls of the thorax and abdomen and includes 2 parts:
1. Parietal layer
2. Visceral layer
Membrane of the thoracic cavity
2 serous membrane membranes:
1. Pleura = membranes of the pleural cavities
2. Pericardium = membrane of the pericardial cavity
Membrane of the abdominal cavity
1x serous membrane:
1. Peritoneum
3 components of non-living things
- Matter
- Mass
- Weight
Matter
Anything that occupies space and has mass
Mass
The amount of matter in any object
Weight
The force of gravity acting on matter
4 major chemical elements of the body
- Oxygen
- Carbon
- Hydrogen
- Nitrogen
8 lesser elements of the body
- Calcium
- Phosphorus (P)
- Potassium (K)
- Sulfur (S)
- Sodium (Na)
- Chlorine (Cl)
- Magnesium (Mg)
- Iron (Fe)
Atoms
Make up elements and are the smallest units of matter
Subatomic particles (3 types)
Make up atoms:
1. Protons
2. Neutrons
3. Electrons
Atomic number
The # of protons in the nucleus of an atom
Mass number
The sum of an atoms protons and neutrons
Isotopes
Atoms of an element that have different #’s of neutrons and therefore different mass numbers
Ions
An atom that has a positive or negative charge b/c it has unequal #’s of protons and electrons (e.g., Ca2+)
Molecule
When 2 or more atoms share electrons (e.g., O2, H2O)