Biology 114 Lab: Animal Nutrition, Digestion, and Homeostasis

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to animal nutrition, digestion, and homeostasis from the biology lab lecture.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organic matter.

Extracellular Digestion

A process where larger animals digest food outside of their cells using a digestive tract.

Gastrovascular Cavity

A digestive system with only one opening, found in cnidarians and flatworms.

Complete Digestive Tract

A digestive system with separate mouth and anus, allowing food to flow in one direction.

Crop

An organ that stores food before it is digested in some animals.

Gizzard

A digestive organ that mechanically grinds food in some animals.

Diverticulum

Pouches in the digestive tube of some organisms, leading to accessory digestive glands.

Osmoregulation

The process of regulating water and solute concentrations in the body.

Osmoconformers

Organisms that allow their internal environment to conform to external salinity levels.

Osmoregulators

Organisms that maintain internal osmotic conditions independent of external environment.

Ammonia

A toxic nitrogenous waste that requires large amounts of water for its excretion.

Urea

A less toxic nitrogenous waste produced by mammals and amphibians, requiring less water to excrete.

Uric Acid

A nitrogenous waste that is highly modified to minimize water loss, excreted by reptiles and birds.

Protonephridia

An excretory system found in flatworms, consisting of flame cells.

Malpighian Tubules

Excretory structures in insects that collect waste from hemolymph and drain it into the digestive tract.

Nephron

The functional unit of the kidney, involved in filtering blood and producing urine.

Urinalysis

A diagnostic examination of urine to check for various substances and indicators of health.