Physiology Sept. 12th

These flashcards cover vocabulary related to metabolism and thermal biology from chapters 1 to 7. They focus on key terms and concepts important for understanding energy expenditure, metabolic rates, and thermoregulation.

Regulation

The process of keeping a system at a specific set point, often involving negative feedback.

Control

The ability to change or manipulate a system.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The rate of energy expenditure of an endothermic animal at rest, fasting, and in a thermal neutral zone.

Standard Metabolic Rate (SMR)

The metabolic rate of ectothermic animals at a defined temperature, typically measured during fasting.

Specific Dynamic Action (SDA)

The increase in metabolic rate associated with ingesting and digesting food.

Indirect Calorimetry

A method of measuring metabolic rates by assessing the exchange of gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Direct Calorimetry

Measures heat production directly from the organism (e.g animal in calorimeter)

Metabolic Rate Scaling

The relationship between body mass and metabolic rate, frequently represented as an exponent.

Mass-specific Metabolic Rate

Metabolic rate per unit of body mass, illustrating how metabolic expenses vary with size.

Ectotherms

Animals that rely largely on environmental heat sources to regulate their body temperature.

Endotherms

Warm-blooded animals that maintain a constant body temperature through internal metabolic processes.

Thermal Neutral Zone

The range of environmental temperatures in which an animal does not need to expend energy to maintain body temperature.

Evaporative Cooling

The process of losing heat through the evaporation of water from the body, effective in thermoregulation.

Drag

The resistance experienced by an object moving through a fluid, affecting energy expenditure in swimming and flying.

Minimum Power Speed

The optimal speed at which flying animals use the least amount of energy to maintain flight.

Radiation

The transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves, significant for heat exchange in animals and the environment.

Conduction

The transfer of heat through direct contact between solid objects.

Convection

The transfer of heat through the movement of fluids (liquids or gases) around an object.

Allometric Relationships

Non-linear relationships between physiological traits, such as metabolic rate and body size, often expressed in log-log plots.