Essential Biology Chapter 21 Vocabulary

Front 1

Anatomy

Back 1

The study of the structure of an organism and its parts.

Front 2

Physiology

Back 2

The processes and functions of an
organism.

Front 3

Epithelial tissue

Back 3

Sheets of tightly packed cells that line organs and body
cavities as well as external surfaces.

Front 4

Connective tissue

Back 4

Animal tissue that functions
mainly to bind and support other tissues, having
a sparse population of cells scattered
through an extracellular matrix.

Front 5

Adipose tissue

Back 5

A connective tissue that insulates
the body and serves as a fuel reserve; contains
fat-storing cells called adipose cells.

Front 6

Blood

Back 6

A connective tissue with a fluid matrix
called plasma in which red blood cells, white
blood cells, and cell fragments called platelets
are suspended.

Front 7

Cartilage

Back 7

A flexible connective tissue
with an abundance of collagenous fibers
embedded in chondroitin sulfate.

Front 8

Bone

Back 8

A connective tissue consisting of living cells
held in a rigid matrix of collagen fibers embedded
in calcium salts.

Front 9

Muscle tissue

Back 9

Tissue consisting of long muscle
cells that can contract, either on its own or
when stimulated by nerve impulses.

Front 10

Skeletal muscle

Back 10

A type of striated muscle that is
generally responsible for the voluntary movements
of the body.

Front 11

Cardiac muscle

Back 11

A type of striated muscle that
forms the contractile wall of the heart. Its cells
are joined by intercalated disks that relay the
electrical signals underlying each heartbeat.

Front 12

Smooth

Back 12

A type of muscle lacking the
striations of skeletal and cardiac muscle because
of the uniform distribution of myosin filaments
in the cells; responsible for involuntary
body activities.

Front 13

Neuron

Back 13

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 plasma membrane.

Front 14

Organ

Back 14

A specialized center of body function
composed of several different types of tissues.

Front 15

Organ system

Back 15

A group of organs that work
together in performing vital body functions.

Front 16

Homeostasis

Back 16

The steady-state
physiological condition of the body.

Front 17

Negative feedback

Back 17

A form of regulation in
which accumulation of an end product of a
process slows the process; in physiology, a
primary mechanism of homeostasis, whereby
a change in a variable triggers a response
that counteracts the initial change.

Front 18

Positive feedback

Back 18

A form of regulation in which
an end product of a process speeds up that
process; in physiology, a control mechanism in
which a change in a variable triggers a response
that reinforces or amplifies the change.

Front 19

Thermoregulation

Back 19

The maintenance of internal
body temperature within a tolerable range.

Front 20

Endotherms

Back 20

Referring to organisms that are
warmed by heat generated by their own
metabolism. This heat usually maintains a
relatively stable body temperature higher
than that of the external environment.

Front 21

Ectotherms

Back 21

Referring to organisms for which
external sources provide most of the heat for
temperature regulation.

Front 22

Osmoregulation

Back 22

Regulation of solute concentrations
and water balance by a cell or organism.

Front 23

Nephron

Back 23

The tubular excretory unit of
the vertebrate kidney.

Front 24

Ureter

Back 24

A duct leading from the kidney
to the urinary bladder.

Front 25

Secretion

Back 25

(1) The discharge of molecules synthesized
by a cell. (2) The discharge of wastes from
the body fluid into the filtrate.

Front 26

Excretion

Back 26

The disposal of nitrogen-containing
metabolites and other waste products.

Front 27

Dialysis

Back 27

Seperation and disposal of metabolic wastes from the blood by mechanical means;an artificial method of performing the functions of the kidneys.

Front 28

Swim bladder

Back 28

In aquatic osteichthyans, an air
sac that enables the animal to control its
buoyancy in the water.