Exam 2 Study Guide: Bone Tissue and Muscular Tissue

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key anatomical structures, cellular components, and physiological processes of Chapter 7 (Bone Tissue) and Chapter 11 (Muscular Tissue) for Exam 2 preparation.

Prototypical Long Bone

The standard anatomical reference model used to demonstrate the basic structure, components, and organization of bone tissue.

Bone as Connective Tissue

A tissue classification justified by both its physical form (specialized cells suspended within an extracellular matrix) and its physiological functions (support, protection, and mineral storage).

Bone Remodeling

The ongoing homeostatic process by which bone tissue adjusts its architecture in response to hormonal calcium regulation, internal and external environmental factors, and physical stress.

Fascicle

A bundle of skeletal muscle fibers, representing the intermediate organizational level between the whole muscle and an individual muscle fiber.

Muscle Fiber

A single muscle cell containing myofibrils and specialized structures such as the sarcolemma, transverse tubules, and sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Myofibril

A cylindrical intracellular organelle within a muscle fiber composed of organized bundles of myofilaments that form repeating sarcomeres.

Myofilaments

The protein filaments within myofibrils, specifically consisting of actin (thin filaments) and myosin (thick filaments), that slide past each other during contraction.

Sarcolemma

The specialized plasma membrane surrounding an individual muscle fiber.

Transverse Tubules (T-Tubules)

Tubular invaginations of the sarcolemma that project deep into the interior of the muscle fiber to rapidly conduct electrical action potentials.

Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

A specialized smooth endoplasmic reticulum within muscle fibers that stores and releases calcium ions to regulate muscle contraction.

Sarcomere

The fundamental contractile unit of striated muscle tissue, characterized by the organized, overlapping arrangement of actin and myosin myofilaments.

Neuromuscular Junction

A specialized chemical synapse formed between the terminal axon of a motor neuron and a muscle fiber.

Sliding Filament Theory

The physiological model explaining muscle contraction, in which calcium and ATP mediate the sliding of actin and myosin filaments past one another without shortening the filaments themselves.

Motor Unit

A single motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates; its size dictates precision versus power, explaining utility differences between muscles such as those in the hands versus the legs.

Aerobic Metabolism (Muscle Activity)

An oxygen-dependent pathway for ATP generation utilized by muscle tissue that provides high-yield, long-term energy production during sustained activity.

Anaerobic Metabolism (Muscle Activity)

An oxygen-independent metabolic pathway capable of generating rapid ATP for short bursts of high-intensity muscle contraction.