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Exam 1 Study Outline

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Terms in this set (30)

  • What is physiology and how does it differ from anatomy?

    Physiology is the study of body function, while anatomy is the study of body structure.

  • What are the levels of organization in the body?

    Levels include cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole organism.

  • What is homeostasis and why is it necessary?

    Homeostasis is maintaining a stable internal environment, necessary for proper cell function and survival.

  • What are the basic components of a homeostatic control system?

    Stimulus, receptor/sensor, integrating center, effector, and response.

  • How does negative feedback maintain stability?

    Negative feedback reverses a change to return a variable to its normal range, promoting stability.

  • What is the difference between negative and positive feedback?

    Negative feedback reverses changes; positive feedback amplifies changes until an endpoint is reached.

  • What are the major types of chemical bonds?

    Covalent, ionic, hydrogen, and Van der Waals bonds.

  • Why is water important to physiological processes?

    Water is a polar molecule that dissolves substances, supports chemical reactions, and maintains cell structure.

  • What is the relationship between H⁺ concentration and pH?

    pH measures H⁺ concentration; higher H⁺ means lower pH (acidic), lower H⁺ means higher pH (basic).

  • What are the four major classes of biological molecules?

    Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

  • What is the primary function of carbohydrates?

    Provide immediate energy, energy storage, and structural support.

  • What distinguishes saturated from unsaturated fatty acids?

    Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds; unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds.

  • What is the fluid mosaic model of the plasma membrane?

    The membrane is a fluid phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins that move laterally.

  • What is the difference between passive and active transport?

    Passive transport moves substances down gradients without energy; active transport requires energy to move substances against gradients.

  • How does the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase pump function?

    Pumps 3 Na⁺ out and 2 K⁺ in using ATP, maintaining ion gradients essential for cell function.

  • What is the difference between isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic solutions?

    Isotonic: no net water movement; hypotonic: water enters cell; hypertonic: water leaves cell.

  • What is metabolism?

    All chemical reactions in the body, including catabolism (breaking down molecules) and anabolism (building molecules).

  • What role do enzymes play in physiology?

    Enzymes lower activation energy and increase reaction rates, showing specificity for substrates.

  • What are the major stages of cellular respiration?

    Glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, citric acid cycle, electron transport chain, and oxidative phosphorylation.

  • How do cells communicate over long distances?

    Via endocrine signaling, where hormones travel through the blood to distant target cells.

  • What is the difference between hydrophilic and lipophilic signals?

    Hydrophilic signals are water-soluble and bind membrane receptors; lipophilic signals cross membranes and bind intracellular receptors.

  • What is the role of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)?

    GPCRs activate intracellular G proteins upon ligand binding, initiating signaling cascades inside the cell.

  • What is the cAMP signaling pathway sequence?

    Ligand → GPCR → G protein → Adenylyl cyclase → cAMP → Protein kinase A → Cellular response.

  • How does calcium act as a second messenger?

    Ca²⁺ is released from intracellular stores, activates target proteins, and works with calmodulin to regulate cellular responses.

  • What is the function of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs)?

    RTKs dimerize and autophosphorylate upon ligand binding, activating signaling pathways that regulate growth and metabolism.

  • How do intracellular receptors regulate gene expression?

    Lipophilic signals bind intracellular receptors, forming complexes that enter the nucleus to alter gene transcription and protein synthesis.

  • What is signal amplification in cell signaling?

    One signal molecule activates many intracellular molecules, amplifying the cellular response through enzyme cascades.

  • What are the types of hormone chemical classes?

    Peptide/protein, steroid, and amino acid-derived hormones, differing in solubility and mechanism of action.

  • How is hormone secretion regulated?

    By neural, hormonal, and humoral controls, often involving feedback loops to maintain hormone levels.

  • What is the role of the hypothalamus in endocrine control?

    The hypothalamus links the nervous and endocrine systems, controlling pituitary hormone secretion.