Animal Physiology Exam 1

Comprehensive practice questions covering animal survival strategies, evolutionary biology principles, and the physiology of respiratory systems across various species.

What is the primary goal of all living organisms?

To survive and reproduce.

What four factors play a role in survival and reproduction?

1. Obtaining resources, 2. Adaptions, 3. Environmental conditions, and 4. Forces of natural selection and sexual selection.

What are the five main resources all living things MUST have to survive?

1. Food, 2. Water, 3. Oxygen, 4. Shelter, and 5. Space.

How is a generalist consumer defined?

An organism that can thrive on a wide variety of food sources, such as a deer eating a variety of plants and berries.

What is a specialist consumer?

An organism with a very narrow diet that is specific on what they eat, such as a panda eating bamboo.

Why do animals need oxygen to survive?

It is a key component of the electron transport chain and is important in digestive processes.

Why do wildlife species seek shelter?

To protect themselves from weather and predators, and to provide protection to offspring.

What various methods do wildlife use when seeking shelter?

1. Constructing a nest or burrow, 2. Taking advantage of existing structures, or 3. Parasitizing other species' shelter.

The amount of space a wildlife species requires depends on which five factors?

1. Size of the species, 2. Composition of the space, 3. Number of individuals in the population, 4. Concentration of human population, and 5. Limited resource availability.

What are animal adaptations?

Physical or behavioral characteristics an animal displays that allow it to successfully survive in its current environment.

What were Charles Darwin's main contributions to the study of species?

The theories of natural selection and survival of the fittest, the idea that most characteristics are heritable, and the concept of adaptation.

Who was Alfred Wallace?

A scientist who worked around the same time as Darwin and also had a theory that organisms change over time.

What are the six influences on natural selection mentioned in the notes?

1. Genetic drift, 2. Founder effect, 3. Gene flow, 4. Mutation, 5. Non-random mating, and 6. Environmental variances.

What is the physical description of Gene flow?

The physical move of genetic information from one population to another.

What is the definition of respiration?

The process of gas exchange between living organisms and the environment, where $O_2$ and $CO_2$ are transported in opposite directions by passive diffusion.

What is the composition of dry air in the atmosphere?

Approximately $21\%$ oxygen, $0.03\%$ $CO_2$, and $79\%$ Nitrogen.

What is Dalton's law of partial pressures?

$P_{total} = P_1 + P_2 + P_3...$, with air pressure equaling $1\,atm$ or $760\,mmHg$ at sea level.

Solubility of gas in water depends on which four things?

1. The nature of the gas, 2. Pressure, 3. Temperature, and 4. Solutes.

How does the solubility of $CO_2$ compare to $O_2$ in water?

$CO_2$ dissolves in water about $200$ times more easily than $O_2$.

What is Henry's law?

The amount of gas dissolved in a given volume of water is proportional to the pressure of the gas.

What happens to gas solubility as water temperature or solute concentration increases?

Gas solubility decreases.

In terms of diffusion, how do water and air compare?

At the same partial pressure of oxygen, $O_2$ diffuses $10,000$ times faster in air than water.

How do lungs and internal gills differ structurally?

Lungs are invaginated (folded in), while internal gills are evaginated (ejected out or projected into the superficial body cavity).

What are the characteristics of mammal and bird lung structures?

They are densely packed with branching airways and possess a very high surface area.

What is ventilation?

The forced flow of air to or from the gas exchange membrane.

What is the difference between tidal flow and unidirectional flow?

Tidal flow is the flow of air into and out of a blind cavity, whereas unidirectional flow involves air making a complete loop.

How do continuous breathing and intermittent breathing differ?

In continuous breathing, each breath is followed immediately by another; in intermittent breathing, breaths are interrupted by periods of apnea (no breathing).

What are the two main mechanisms by which ventilation takes place?

Pressure pump (pushes air in) and suction pump (pulls air in using a diaphragm).

What are the characteristics and requirements of cutaneous respiration?

It requires moist environments, highly vascularized skin, and a high surface area to volume ratio (limited body size).

How do crocodilians ventilate their lungs without a diaphragm?

Their liver is attached to the lungs and acts like a plunger to facilitate respiration.

In mammals, what is the site of gas exchange and how is ventilation controlled?

The site of gas exchange is the alveoli; ventilation is controlled by the medulla in response to $CO_2$ levels in the blood.

What characterizes bird respiration?

Constant airflow provided by rigid, dense lungs and air sacs acting as balloons; gas exchange occurs at the parabronchi.

What is cross-current flow in bird respiration?

A mechanism where blood flows perpendicular to the airflow, which is more efficient than co-current flow.

What are the two solutions for gills depleting oxygen in still water?

1. Move the gills, or 2. Move the water (by pumping water or moving through it).

What are the characteristics of ram ventilation?

The mouth remains open with constant body movement, requiring no specific breathing movements and creating continual unidirectional flow.

How many species of fish are known to have air-breathing adaptations?

Over $400$ species.