General Biology

A columnar epithelial cell probably has what function?

Interstitial fluid is __________.

Which of the following is a question about physiology?

Which of the following is a benefit of multicellularity compared to organisms consisting of just one cell?

Food processing and the absorption and distribution of nutrients within your body are mainly accomplished by the __________ systems.

Which of the following systems is correctly paired with one of its parts?

Complete the following word association: Albatross is to organism as intestine is to __________.

Which of the following are types of cell found in epithelial tissues?

Where in the body would you be most likely to find secretory cells shaped like dice?

Microscopic analysis of an unknown tissue sample reveals the presence of chondrocytes, indicating that the sample was probably taken from __________.

Which of the following tissues bind and support other tissues in the body?

Which of the six major types of connective tissue has a rigid matrix that contains collagen and calcium salts?

Plasma, a fluid containing water, salts, and dissolved proteins, is the extracellular matrix of __________.

Ligaments are a type of __________.

Cells that secrete the proteins that make cartilage strong yet flexible are called __________.

Ligaments connect __________ to __________.

Which of the following is a list of connective tissues?

Bone-forming cells are called __________.

"Striated" is a description that would apply to which kind of animal tissue?

Myosin and actin are __________.

A neuron consists of many components. Name three.

The body tissue that consists largely of material located outside of cells is a. epithelial tissue. b. connective tissue. c. muscle tissue. d. nervous tissue.

Human embryonic stem cells are capable of forming all types of cells in the human body. How are these cells similar to meristem cells in plants?

Most cells are microscopic because at this small size, __________.

The __________ system and the __________ system work together to coordinate and control physiological processes in most animals.

Which of the following statements is/are true of hormones?

Which of the following is a characteristic of the nervous system but not the endocrine system?

Which of the following best illustrates homeostasis?

Which of the following is a function of your circadian rhythm?

When a jogger starts to run, the rate at which his muscles produce CO₂ rises sharply. But the CO₂ in his blood rises only slightly before he starts to breathe faster and his heart starts beating stronger. Soon his increased rate of CO₂ production is balanced by an increased rate of CO₂ removal. This would be an example of __________ feedback because the jogger's circulatory and respiratory systems are __________.

What kind of feedback most directly maintains homeostasis? Why is this?

Which of the following animals would you expect to consume food at the highest rate (kilograms of food per kilogram of body weight per day)?

During the night, the dormouse forages and eats, but during the day, its body temperature and heart rate drop significantly. This is an example of what physiological process?

The amount of energy expended while an endothermic organism is resting, unstressed, and not actively digesting or growing is called its __________.

In most animals, food is digested by __________, __________ are absorbed by body cells, and most energy-containing molecules are used to generate __________.

Compared with a smaller cell, a larger cell of the same shape has a. less surface area. b. less surface area per unit of volume. c. the same surface-area-to-volume ratio. d. a smaller cytoplasm-to-nucleus ratio.

An animal’s inputs of energy and materials would exceed its outputs a. if the animal is an endotherm, which must always take in more energy because of its high metabolic rate. b. if it is actively foraging for food. c. if it is growing and increasing its mass. d. never; due to homeostasis, these energy and material budgets always balance.

Consider the energy budgets for a human, an elephant, a penguin, a mouse, and a snake. The            would have the highest total annual energy expenditure, and the            would have the highest energy expenditure per unit mass. a. elephant; mouse b. elephant; human c. mouse; snake d. penguin; mouse

Which of the following animals uses the largest percentage of its energy budget for homeostatic regulation? a. marine jelly (an invertebrate) b. snake in a temperate forest c. desert insect d. desert bird

DRAW IT Draw a model of the control circuit(s) required for driving an automobile at a fairly constant speed over a hilly road. Indicate each feature that represents a sensor, stimulus, or response.

Many species of animals on islands are larger than related species on the mainland. Scientists hypothesize that this phenomenon, called island gigantism, evolved in response to the scarcity of competitors and predators on islands. Reduced competition and predation allows species to exploit more resources and frees them from the need to hide in small refuges. On a trip to the Galápagos Islands, you overhear a group of tourists refer to tortoises as “cold blooded.” Explain why this word is not accurate to describe a giant tortoise.

Many species of animals on islands are larger than related species on the mainland. Scientists hypothesize that this phenomenon, called island gigantism, evolved in response to the scarcity of competitors and predators on islands. Reduced competition and predation allows species to exploit more resources and frees them from the need to hide in small refuges. Suppose that a small mainland tortoise and a large island tortoise are placed in the same pen at a zoo. Which tortoise will be more poikilothermic, the small or large tortoise? Why?

Many species of animals on islands are larger than related species on the mainland. Scientists hypothesize that this phenomenon, called island gigantism, evolved in response to the scarcity of competitors and predators on islands. Reduced competition and predation allows species to exploit more resources and frees them from the need to hide in small refuges. True or false: The body temperatures of island tortoises always closely match the temperatures in their environments.

Many species of animals on islands are larger than related species on the mainland. Scientists hypothesize that this phenomenon, called island gigantism, evolved in response to the scarcity of competitors and predators on islands. Reduced competition and predation allows species to exploit more resources and frees them from the need to hide in small refuges. Which of the following might be a trade-off of gigantism experienced by giant island tortoises? a. They cool very rapidly during cold weather. b. It would be difficult to sustain their high mass-specific metabolic rates on a diet of plants alone. c. It could be more difficult to avoid thermally unfavorable conditions. d. They could hide from nonnative predators more easily.

Many species of animals on islands are larger than related species on the mainland. Scientists hypothesize that this phenomenon, called island gigantism, evolved in response to the scarcity of competitors and predators on islands. Reduced competition and predation allows species to exploit more resources and frees them from the need to hide in small refuges. Which tortoises, mainland or island, need to eat more food per gram of their body mass?

Many species of animals on islands are larger than related species on the mainland. Scientists hypothesize that this phenomenon, called island gigantism, evolved in response to the scarcity of competitors and predators on islands. Reduced competition and predation allows species to exploit more resources and frees them from the need to hide in small refuges. The graph shown here compares the average carapace (shell) length of mainland and island tortoises. Summarize the results, then use the data to predict whether the surface area to volume ratio is higher in mainland or island tortoises.

Which of the following is a description of a behavior that helps warm the body?

During a fever, the __________ readjusts the set point of the body to a __________ temperature.

Sweating __________.

In the late fall, bats hibernate in clusters with many bats pressed together and holding on to one another. Which of the following statements does not represent an advantage of this behavior?

On a cold day, blood vessels in the skin __________.

By definition, an ectotherm __________.

The term endotherm refers specifically to __________.

Which statement is true regarding thermoregulation?

The wolf, his coat glowing in the early spring sunshine, sat atop a cold boulder after unsuccessfully pursuing a plump jackrabbit. He continued to pant while __________.

It is a cold day in the lecture hall. When you rest your arm on the cool laminated desktop at your seat, heat is transferred __________.

Which of the following statements is true?

You are studying a large tropical reptile that has a high and relatively stable body temperature. How do you determine whether this animal is an endotherm or an ectotherm? a. You know from its high and stable body temperature that it must be an endotherm. b. You subject this reptile to various temperatures in the lab and find that its body temperature and metabolic rate change with the ambient temperature. You conclude that it is an ectotherm. c. You note that its environment has a high and stable temperature. Because its body temperature matches the environmental temperature, you conclude that it is an ectotherm. d. You measure the metabolic rate of the reptile, and because it is higher than that of a related species that lives in temperate forests, you conclude that this reptile is an endotherm and its relative is an ectotherm.

Which of the following would increase the rate of heat exchange between an animal and its environment? a. feathers or fur b. vasoconstriction c. wind blowing across the body surface d.countercurrent heat exchanger

The dinosaur Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus) is one of the largest terrestrial animals that ever lived—over 20 m in length and weighing over 20 metric tons. Is it more likely that Apatosaurus was homeothermic or poikilothermic? Explain.

Explain why it would be impossible for a gorilla the size of King Kong to have fur. (Your answer should explain how the surface area to volume ratio of a normal-sized gorilla would compare to Kong’s; relate this to the role of surface area and volume in heat generation and heat transfer, and consider the function of fur.)

Consider three spheres with radii of 1 cm, 5 cm, and 10 cm. Calculate the surface area and the volume of each sphere, and plot the results on a graph with radius on the x-axis and surface area and volume on the y-axis. (Surface area of a sphere = 4πr2; volume of a sphere = (4/3)πr3.) Explain how the graph shows the relationship between size and surface area to volume ratio.

Explain why most endotherms are homeothermic and most ectotherms are poikilothermic.