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Anatomy & Physiology: Human Body Orientation and Homeostasis

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Terms in this set (24)

  • What is anatomy?

    Anatomy is the study of the structure of body parts and their relationship to one another.

  • What is physiology?

    Physiology is the study of the function of body parts and how they work to carry out life-sustaining activities.

  • List the levels of structural organization in the human body from smallest to largest.

    Chemical, Cellular, Tissue, Organ, Organ system, Organismal levels.

  • What are the major survival needs of the human body?

    Nutrients, oxygen, water, normal body temperature, and appropriate atmospheric pressure.

  • Why is oxygen essential for survival?

    Oxygen is essential for the release of energy from foods; the body can survive only a few minutes without it.

  • What role does water play in the body?

    Water is the most abundant chemical in the body, providing the watery environment needed for chemical reactions and serving as the fluid base for secretions and excretions.

  • Define homeostasis.

    Homeostasis is the maintenance of relatively stable internal conditions despite continuous changes in the environment; it is a dynamic state of equilibrium.

  • What are the three components of homeostatic control?

    Receptor (sensor), control center, and effector.

  • What is the function of a receptor in homeostasis?

    The receptor monitors the environment and responds to stimuli by detecting changes in controlled variables.

  • What does the control center do in homeostatic regulation?

    The control center determines the set point for a variable, receives input from the receptor, and decides the appropriate response.

  • What is the role of the effector in homeostasis?

    The effector receives output from the control center and provides the means to respond, either reducing or enhancing the stimulus.

  • Explain negative feedback in homeostasis.

    Negative feedback reduces or shuts off the original stimulus, causing the variable to change in the opposite direction of the initial change.

  • Give two examples of negative feedback mechanisms.

    Regulation of body temperature and regulation of blood glucose by insulin.

  • Explain positive feedback and give examples.

    Positive feedback enhances the original stimulus, causing further responses in the same direction. Examples include labor contractions and blood clotting.

  • What is anatomical position?

    Body erect, feet slightly apart, palms facing forward with thumbs pointing away from the body; used as a standard reference for directional terms.

  • Why is the anatomical position important?

    It provides a consistent frame of reference for describing body parts and their locations relative to each other.

  • Name the three major body planes.

    Sagittal plane, frontal (coronal) plane, and transverse (horizontal) plane.

  • What does the sagittal plane divide?

    Divides the body vertically into right and left parts.

  • What is the difference between midsagittal and parasagittal planes?

    Midsagittal plane cuts perfectly on the midline; parasagittal plane is off-center, not on the midline.

  • What does the frontal (coronal) plane divide?

    Divides the body vertically into anterior (front) and posterior (back) parts.

  • What does the transverse (horizontal) plane divide?

    Divides the body horizontally into superior (top) and inferior (bottom) parts.

  • What are the two main body cavities and their subdivisions?

    Dorsal body cavity (cranial and vertebral cavities) and ventral body cavity (thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities).

  • What organs are protected by the dorsal body cavity?

    The brain (cranial cavity) and spinal cord (vertebral cavity).

  • What organs are housed in the ventral body cavity?

    Internal organs collectively called viscera, including those in the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.