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58 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Abdominal cavity
The body cavity in mammals that primarily houses parts of the digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems. It is separated from the thoracic cavity by the diaphragm.
Acclimatization
Physiological adjustment to a change in an environmental factor.
Anatomy
The study of the structure of an organism.
Basal metabolic rate [BMR]
The metabolic rate of a resting, fasting, and nonstressed endotherm.
Basement membrane
The floor of an epithelial membrane on which the basal cells rest.
Bioenergetics
The flow of energy through an animal, taking into account the energy stored in the food it consumes, the energy used for basic functions, activity, growth, reproduction, and regulation, and the energy lost to the environment as heat or in waste.
Brown fat
A tissue in some mammals, located in the neck and between the shoulders that is specialized for rapid heat production.
Cardiac muscle
A type of muscle that forms the contractile wall of the heart. Its cells are joined by intercalated disks that relay each heartbeat.
Collagenous fibers
A tough fiber of the extra-cellular matrix. Collagenous fibers are made of collagen, are nonelastic, and do not tear easily when pulled lengthwise.
Columnar
The column shape of a type of epithelial cell.
Conformer
A characterization of an animal in regard to environmental variables. A conformer allows some conditions within its body to vary with certain external changes.
Connective tissue
Animal tissue that functions mainly to bind and support other tissues, having a sparse population of cells scattered through an extracellular matrix.
Countercurrent heat exchanger
An arrangement of blood vessels that helps trap heat in the body core and is important in reducing heat loss in many endotherms.
Cuboidal
The cubic shape of a type of epithelial cell.
Daily Torpor
A daily decrease in metabolic activity and body temperature during times of inactivity for some small mammals and birds.
Ectothermic
Referring to organisms that do not produce enough metabolic heat to have much effect on body temperature.
Ectotherms
An animal, such as a reptile (other than birds), fish, or amphibian that must use environmental energy and behavioral adaptations to regulate its body temperature.
Elastic fibers
A long thread made of the protein elastin. Elastic fibers provide a rubbery quality to the extracellular matrix that complements the nonelastic strength of collagenous fibers.
Endothermic
Referring to organisms with bodies that are warmed by heat generated by metabolism. This heat is usually used to maintain a relatively stable body temperature.
Endotherms
An animal, such as a bird or mammal that uses metabolic heat to regulate body temperature.
Epithelial tissue
Sheets of tightly packed cells that line organs and body cavities.
Estivation
Summer topor; a physiological state that is characterized by slow metabolism and inactivity and that permits survival during long periods of elevated temperature and diminished water supplies.
Fibroblasts
A type of cell in loose connective tissue that secretes the protein ingredients of the extracellular fibers.
Glandular epithelia
An epithelium that absorbs or secretes chemical solutions.
Heat-shock proteins
A protein that helps protect other proteins during heat stress. Heat-shock proteins are found in plants, animals, and microorganisms.
Hibernation
A physiological state that allows survival during long periods of cold temperature and reduced food supplies, in which metabolism decreases, the heart and respiratory system slow down, and body temperature is maintained at a lower level than normal.
Homeostasis
The steady-state physiological condition of the body.
Integumentary system
The outer covering of a mammal’s body, including skin, hair, and nails.
Interstitial fluid
The internal environment of vertebrates, consisting of the fluid filling the spaces between cells.
Macrophages
A phagocytic cell present in many tissues that functions in innate immunity by destroying microbes and in acquired immunity as an antigen presenting cell.
Mesenteries
A membrane that suspends many of the organs of vertebrates inside fluid-filled body cavities.
Metabolic rate
The total amount of energy an animal uses in a unit of time.
Mucous membrane
Smooth moist epithelium that lines the digestive tract and air tubes leading to the lungs.
Muscle tissue
Tissue consisting of long muscle cells that are capable of contracting when stimulated by nerve impulses.
Negative feedback
A primary mechanism of homeostasis, whereby a change in a physiological variable that is being monitored triggers a response that counteracts the initial fluctuation.
Nervous tissue
Tissue made up of neurons and supportive cells.
Neuron
A nerve cell; the fundamental unit of the nervous system, having structure and properties that allow it to conduct signals by taking advantage of the electrical charge across its cell membrane.
Nonshivering thermogenesis [NST]
The increased production of heat in some mammals by the action of certain hormones that cause mitochondria to increase their metabolic activity and produce heat instead of ATP.
Organ systems
A group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions.
Organs
A specialized center of body function composed of several different types of tissues.
Physiology
The study of the functions of an organism.
Positive feedback
A physiological control mechanism in which a change in some variable triggers mechanisms that amplify the change.
Regulator
A characterization of an animal in regard to environmental variables. A regulator uses mechanisms of homeostasis to moderate internal changes in the face of external fluctuations.
Reticular fibers
A very thing and branched fiber made of collagen. Reticular fibers form a tightly woven fiber that is continuous with the collagenous fibers of the extracellular matrix.
Simple epithelium
An epithelium consisting of a single layer of cells that all touch the basal lamina.
Skeletal muscle [striated muscle]
Muscle generally responsible for the voluntary movements of the body.
Smooth muscle
A type of muscle lacking the striations of skeletal and cardiac muscle because of the uniform distribution of myosin filaments in the cell; responsible for involuntary body activities.
Squamos
The flat, tile-like shape of a type of epithelial cell.
Standard metabolic rate [SMR]
The metabolic rate of a resting, fasting and nonstressed ectotherm.
Stratified epithelium
An epithelium consisting of more than one layer of cells in which some but not all cells touch the basal lamina.
Stress-induced proteins
Molecules, including heat-shock proteins, that are produced within cells in response to exposure to marked increases in temperature and to other forms of severe stress, such as toxins, rapid pH changes, and viral infections.
Striate muscle
See skeletal muscle.
Thermoregulation
The maintenance of internal body temperature within a tolerable range.
Thoracic cavity
The body cavity in mammals that houses the lungs and heart. It is surrounded in part by ribs and separated from the lower abdominal cavity by the diaphragm.
Tissues
An integrated group of cells with a common function structure, or both.
Torpor
In animals, a physiological state that conserves energy by slowing down metabolism.
Vasoconstriction
A decrease in the diameter of superficial blood vessels triggered by nerve signals that contract the muscles of the vessel walls.
Vasodilation
An increase in the diameter of superficial blood vessels triggered by nerve signals that relax the muscles of the vessel walls.