AP Biology Unit 8A (Animal Form and Function)

Organ

A combination of different tissues that form a structural and functional unit

Organ System

A group of organs that cooperate to perform the major activities of the body

Stimulus

A thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in a cell, organ, or tissue.

Metabolic Rate

Amount of energy an animal uses in a unit of time; determined by an animal's heat loss and the amount of O2 consumed and CO2 produced

Ectotherms

Animals that gain heat from external sources; use less energy, but cannot survive in wide temperature ranges (invertebrates, fish, amphibians, retiles). Regulate body temperature using behavior (metabolism slows in cold temperatures)

Endotherms

Animals that generate heat from their internal metabolism; use more energy, but survive at wider temperature ranges (birds, mammals)

nervous, sensory, and endocrine systems

Communication and Integration organ systems (detect external stimuli and coordinate the body's responses)

Integumentary and immune systems

Defense organ systems

Control Center

Determine the appropriate source of action (also called the integrator)

Positive Feedback Loop

Feedback loop that moves a variable farther away from set point to amplify the result (childbirth, ripening fruit)

Negative Feedback Loop

Feedback loop that returns changing conditions back to a set point by discouraging the detected stimulus; homeostatic mechanisms use this

Endocrine System

Glands secrete hormones that regulate processes such as growth, reproduction, and nutrient use through the blood (slow, long-lasting chemical signals)

Tissues

Groups of cells that are similar in structure and function

Evaporation

Heat transfer through the phase change of water from liquid to gas

Hibernation

Long-term torpor that is an adaptation to winter cold and food scarcity

Evaporative Heat Loss

Mechanism of thermoregulation by which sweat glands in the skin allow water to be transported to the surface, where it then evaporates, taking large quantities of heat with it.

Thermogenesis

Mechanism of thermoregulation in which an animal moves to generate heat (shivering)

Insulation

Mechanism of thermoregulation that reduces the heat flow between an animal and its environment

Circulatory Adaptations

Mechanism of thermoregulation that regulates blood flow near the body surface

Effector

Muscles, organs, or other structures that receive signals from the control center. When it receives a signal, it changes its function to correct the deviation

Thermoregulation

Process of maintaining an internal temperature within a tolerable range

Digestive, circulatory, respiratory, and urinary systems

Regulation and Maintenance organ systems

Excretion

Removal of nitrogen-containing waste products

Reproductive system

Reproduction organ system

Dynamic Equilibrium

Set points; when something is in homeostasis

Torpor

State in which activity and metabolism are low (hibernation, estivation)

Estivation

Summer torpor. Enables animals to survive long periods of high temperatures and scarce water supplies

Muscular and Skeletal System

Support and Movement organ systems

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain an internal balance despite changing environmental conditions or stimuli

Nervous System

The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems; neurons transmit information between specific locations (fast signaling)

Conduction

The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching

Standard Metabolic Rate

The metabolic rate of an ectotherm at rest at a specific temperature

Homeostatic Mechanism

The process by which an organism monitors and maintains a constant state

Basal Metabolic Rate

The rate at which an endotherm uses energy at rest at a comfortable temperature

Osmoregulation

The regulation of the gain and loss of water

Bioenergetics

The study of how organisms manage their energy resources; overall flow and transfer of energy in an animal

Anatomy

The study of the biological form of an organism

Physiology

The study of the biological functions an organism performs

Convection

The transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas

digestive, body, skin

The vertebrate body plan: tube within a tube. Inner tube = ______ tract, outer tube = main _______, outermost tube = ______ and its accessories

Germ Layers

Three main layers that form the various tissues and organs of an animal body; ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm

Connective

Tissue that binds and supports other tissues (cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bone, blood, adipose)

Muscle

Tissue that controls body movement (skeletal, smooth, cardiac)

Epithelial

Tissue that covers the outside of the body and lines the organs and cavities within the body

Nervous

Tissue that senses stimuli and transmits signals through the animal (neurons, glia)

Radiation

Transfer of heat by electromagnetic waves