Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology – Lecture Review

These flashcards cover foundational concepts from the lecture on human anatomy and physiology, including definitions of anatomy and physiology, structural organization levels, life characteristics, homeostasis and feedback mechanisms, anatomical terminology, body planes, body cavities, and serous membranes.

What does the study of anatomy focus on?

The structure of body parts and their relationships to one another—what things are and where they are located.

What is physiology concerned with?

The functions of body parts—how they work and why they work that way.

At which structural level do atoms combine to form molecules?

Chemical level.

Which level of structural organization is considered the basic structural and functional unit of life?

Cellular level (the cell).

Groups of similar cells with a common function form what structural level?

The tissue level.

What defines an organ in the structural hierarchy?

A structure composed of at least two different tissue types that work together to perform a specific function.

Which structural level consists of multiple organs working together for a common purpose?

Organ system level.

What is the highest level of structural organization in the body?

Organismal level, the complete living being.

Name the characteristic of life that refers to the body’s ability to sense and respond to stimuli.

Responsiveness (excitability).

What term describes all the chemical reactions occurring in the body?

Metabolism.

Which characteristic of life refers to producing offspring at the cellular or organismal level?

Reproduction.

Define homeostasis.

The body’s ability to maintain relatively stable internal conditions despite continuous external changes; a dynamic equilibrium.

In a homeostatic control mechanism, what is the role of the receptor?

To detect changes (stimuli) in the environment.

Which component of homeostatic control analyzes input and determines the appropriate response?

The control center.

What is the function of the effector in homeostasis?

To carry out the response directed by the control center (e.g., a muscle contracting or a gland secreting).

Which type of feedback loop reduces or reverses the original stimulus?

Negative feedback loop.

Give one example of a negative feedback loop in the human body.

Body temperature regulation (sweating to cool down, shivering to warm up).

Which feedback loop amplifies the original stimulus, often until an event is completed?

Positive feedback loop.

Name a physiological process that operates by positive feedback.

Childbirth contractions or blood clotting.

Describe the anatomical position.

Body erect, feet slightly apart, palms facing forward, thumbs pointing away from the body.

What directional term means 'toward the head or upper part of the body'?

Superior (cranial).

What directional term is the opposite of superior?

Inferior (caudal) – away from the head or toward the lower part of a structure.

Which directional term means 'toward the front of the body'?

Anterior (ventral).

If an organ is closer to the midline, which directional term applies?

Medial.

What directional term describes a structure farther from the limb’s origin?

Distal.

Which plane divides the body into equal right and left halves?

Midsagittal (median) plane.

What body plane separates the body into anterior and posterior portions?

Frontal (coronal) plane.

Name the dorsal body cavities.

Cranial cavity (houses the brain) and vertebral/spinal cavity (houses the spinal cord).

Which cavity contains the heart and lungs and is superior to the diaphragm?

Thoracic cavity.

What two cavities make up the abdominopelvic cavity?

Abdominal cavity and pelvic cavity.

What is the parietal layer of a serous membrane?

The outer layer lining the cavity wall.

Which serous membrane surrounds the lungs?

Pleura (parietal pleura lines the thoracic wall; visceral pleura covers the lungs).

What are mesenteries?

Double folds of peritoneum that suspend abdominal organs and provide pathways for vessels and nerves.

Give an example of a retroperitoneal organ.

Kidney (others include pancreas and parts of the intestines).