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Anatomy & Physiology Exam 1 Key Concepts

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Terms in this set (24)

  • Characteristics of living things

    Living things exhibit organization, metabolism, responsiveness, growth, development, reproduction, and homeostasis.

  • Anatomy directional terms

    Terms like anterior/posterior, superior/inferior, medial/lateral, and proximal/distal describe locations and directions on the body.

  • Organ systems and their functions

    Organ systems perform specific functions such as circulatory (transport), respiratory (gas exchange), digestive (nutrient breakdown), and nervous (control and communication).

  • Organ systems and their organs

    Examples: Heart in circulatory, lungs in respiratory, stomach in digestive, brain in nervous system.

  • Components of a feedback loop

    A feedback loop includes a receptor, control center, and effector to maintain homeostasis.

  • Function of negative feedback systems

    Negative feedback reverses a change to maintain stability; e.g., body temperature regulation.

  • Example of negative feedback in homeostasis

    When body temperature rises, sweat glands activate to cool the body, restoring normal temperature.

  • Function of positive feedback systems

    Positive feedback amplifies a change; it is less common and usually controls processes that need a definitive outcome.

  • Example of positive feedback in homeostasis

    During childbirth, oxytocin release intensifies contractions until delivery occurs.

  • Core principle of Anatomy & Physiology

    Structure and function are interrelated; the form of a body part reflects its function.

  • Factors that alter enzyme reaction rates

    Temperature, pH, substrate concentration, and enzyme concentration affect enzyme activity.

  • Factors influencing diffusion rates

    Concentration gradient, temperature, surface area, and molecule size influence diffusion speed.

  • Meaning of acid, base, and neutral on the pH scale

    Acid has pH <7, base has pH >7, and neutral is pH 7.

  • How buffers work

    Buffers maintain pH by absorbing or releasing H+ ions to resist changes in acidity or alkalinity.

  • Isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic solutions

    Isotonic: equal solute concentration; hypotonic: lower solute concentration; hypertonic: higher solute concentration compared to the cell.

  • Why humans should avoid drinking salt water

    Salt water is hypertonic, causing cells to lose water and dehydrate.

  • Cell theory

    All living things are made of cells, cells are the basic unit of life, and all cells come from preexisting cells.

  • Four primary tissue types

    Epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous tissues each have distinct functions.

  • Functions of epithelial tissue

    Epithelial tissue protects, absorbs, secretes, and filters substances.

  • Classification of epithelial tissues

    Classified by cell layers (simple, stratified) and cell shape (squamous, cuboidal, columnar).

  • Three types of glandular secretion

    Merocrine (exocytosis), apocrine (partial cell loss), and holocrine (whole cell disintegration).

  • Functions of connective tissue

    Connective tissue supports, binds, protects, and stores energy.

  • Three types of muscle tissue

    Skeletal (voluntary movement), cardiac (heart contraction), and smooth (involuntary organ movement).

  • Tissue repair capacity

    Tissues vary in repair ability; epithelial and connective tissues repair well, while nervous tissue repairs poorly due to limited cell division.