BIO107 Chapter 1: The Human Body: An Orientation

Vocabulary flashcards covering anatomy, physiology, structural organization, organ systems, homeostasis, and control mechanisms from Chapter 1.

Anatomy

The study of body part structure and the structural relationships that exist between different body parts.

Gross Anatomy

The anatomical study of structures that are visible to the naked eye.

Microscopic Anatomy

The anatomical study of structures that are too small to see with the naked eye.

Physiology

The study of body function, focusing on how body parts work and carry out life-sustaining activities.

Principle of Complementarity

The principle stating that the structure of a body part (its anatomy) determines how the body part functions (its physiology).

Chemical Level

The simplest level of structural organization, consisting of atoms combining to form molecules.

Cellular Level

The level of structural organization where molecules associate to form organelles within cells, which are the smallest units of life.

Tissue Level

The level of structural organization consisting of a group of similar cells that have a common function.

Organ Level

The level of structural organization made up of two or more tissue types that work together to carry out a function.

Organ System Level

The level of structural organization consisting of different organs that work together to carry out a common purpose.

Organismal Level

The highest level of structural organization, representing the sum total of all structural levels working together to keep us alive.

Integumentary System

The organ system consisting of the skin, hair, and nails that forms the external covering of the body and protects deeper tissues from injury.

Skeletal System

The organ system consisting of bones and joints that protects body organs, provides leverage for muscle movement, and stores minerals and fat.

Muscular System

The organ system consisting of skeletal muscles that directs movements, maintains body posture and balance, and produces heat.

Nervous System

The fast-acting control system of the body that responds to internal and external changes by controlling the activity of muscles and glands.

Endocrine System

The slow-acting control system of the body that uses hormones to regulate growth, reproduction, and metabolism.

Cardiovascular System

The organ system consisting of the heart and blood vessels that transports blood carrying oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and wastes.

Lymphatic System

The organ system that picks up fluid leaked from blood vessels, returns it to blood, and houses white blood cells (lymphocytes) to direct immune responses.

Respiratory System

The organ system that supplies blood with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the blood.

Digestive System

The organ system that breaks down food into absorbable units, transports them into the blood, and eliminates unabsorbed substances as feces.

Urinary System

The organ system that eliminates nitrogenous wastes from the body and regulates water, electrolyte, and acid-base balance of the blood.

Male Reproductive System

The system in which testes produce sperm and male sex hormone, and male ducts and glands aid in delivery of sperm to the female reproductive tract.

Female Reproductive System

The system in which ovaries produce eggs and female sex hormones, uterine tubes serve as the site of fertilization, the uterus supports fetal development, and mammary glands produce milk.

Homeostasis

The relatively stable condition of the body's internal environment, maintained through a highly dynamic process.

Variable

A factor in the body that is controlled and kept within a narrow, stable range of values.

Setpoint

The target value for a variable that the body expends energy in order to maintain.

Receptor

The component of a homeostatic control mechanism that detects a change or stimulus in a variable.

Control Center

The component of a homeostatic control mechanism that receives input along an afferent pathway and determines the appropriate response.

Effector

The component of a homeostatic control mechanism that receives output along an efferent pathway and carries out the response to influence the stimulus.

Afferent Pathway

The pathway along which input information travels from the receptor to the control center.

Efferent Pathway

The pathway along which output information travels from the control center to the effector.

Negative Feedback Mechanism

A homeostatic control mechanism that functions to return a variable back towards its setpoint, restoring balance and preventing severe changes.

Positive Feedback Mechanism

A homeostatic control mechanism that causes a variable to move farther away from its setpoint, amplifying the imbalance.

What’s involved in the Integumentary system

Hair, skin, nails

What is in the skeletal system?

Bones and joints

What is in the muscular system?

Skeletal muscle muscles

What is in the nervous system?

Brain, nerves, spinal cord

What is in the endocrine system?

Penal gland, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus , adrenal gland, pancreas, ovaries, testis

What is in the cardiovascular system?

Heart and blood vessels

What is in the lymphatic system?

Redbone morrow, thymus, Lymphatic vessels, thoracic duct, spleen, lymph nodes

What is in the respiratory system?

Nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, Trachea, bronchus , lung

What is in the digestive system?

Oral cavity, esophagus, liver, spleen, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus

What does it mean urinary system?

Kidney, ureter, your urinary bladder and urethra