Anatomy & Physiology 1 Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, organ systems, chemical principles, organic compounds, organelles, cell transport, and cell cycle topics from Unit 1 A&P notes.

Anatomy

The study of body structures, including gross and microscopic structural organization.

Physiology

The study of body function, which focuses heavily on conceptual understanding.

Atoms

The smallest stable units of matter, located in the nucleus (protons and neutrons) and surrounding electron shells.

Denaturation

A process in which a change in the shape of a molecule, such as an enzyme, causes it to lose its functionality.

Mitochondria

Membranous organelles that produce $ATP$ by breaking down glucose in the presence of oxygen.

Cell Theory

The foundational biological principle stating that cells are the structural building blocks of all plants and animals, produced by the division of pre-existing cells, and are the smallest structural units performing all vital functions.

Histology

The study of tissues.

Epithelial Tissue

The most common primary tissue type that forms barriers, covers exposed body surfaces, lines tracts, internal cavities, and blood vessels, and produces glandular secretions.

Connective Tissue

A diverse tissue type characterized by cells contained within an extracellular matrix composed of protein fibers and a liquid ground substance.

Muscle Tissue

A tissue type specialized to contract forcefully to produce movement, support soft tissues, maintain blood flow, and stabilize body temperature.

Nervous Tissue

A tissue type specialized to carry information or electrical instructions within the body, composed of neurons and neuroglia.

Neurons

Nerve cells that transmit information throughout the body in the form of electrical impulses.

Neuroglia

Supporting cells in nervous tissue that isolate, support, and form a framework around neurons.

Organ

A functional anatomical unit composed of more than one tissue type whose overall function is determined by tissue organization.

Integumentary System

An organ system that covers the surface, protects against environmental hazards, and helps control body temperature.

Skeletal System

An organ system that provides body support, protects soft tissues, stores minerals, and forms blood cells.

Muscular System

An organ system that produces movement, provides support, and generates heat.

Nervous System

An organ system that acts as a control center, directing immediate responses to stimuli by coordinating organ system activities.

Endocrine System

An organ system that directs long-term changes in other organ systems using chemical messengers called hormones.

Cardiovascular System

An organ system that propels and distributes blood to transport oxygen, nutrients, wastes, hormones, and gases throughout the body.

Lymphatic System

An organ system that defends against infection and disease and returns tissue fluid to the bloodstream.

Respiratory System

An organ system that delivers air to sites of gas exchange between air and circulating blood, and produces sound.

Digestive System

An organ system that processes food, absorbs nutrients, and eliminates solid wastes.

Urinary System

An organ system that eliminates excess water, salts, and wastes, and regulates blood $pH$ and ion concentrations.

Female Reproductive System

An organ system that produces oocytes and hormones, supports embryonic development from fertilization to birth, and produces milk.

Male Reproductive System

An organ system that produces sperm and hormones and deposits sperm into the female reproductive tract.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a stable internal environment within a narrow range around a set point.

Receptor

A sensor component of a homeostatic regulatory mechanism that detects a stimulus or change in condition.

Control Center

An integration center of a homeostatic regulatory mechanism that processes information from receptors and sends out commands.

Effector

A component of a homeostatic regulatory mechanism that responds to commands from the control center to address a stimulus.

Negative Feedback

The primary homeostatic mechanism wherein the effector opposes or negates the original stimulus to minimize internal change.

Positive Feedback

A homeostatic mechanism wherein the effector exaggerates or enhances the original stimulus, producing extreme responses such as labor contractions or blood clotting.

Anatomical Position

A standard stance where the body is standing up with hands at the sides, palms facing forward, feet together pointing forward, and eyes facing forward.

Supine

An anatomical term describing a body lying down face up.

Prone

An anatomical term describing a body lying down face down.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which equals its number of electrons.

Mass Number

The combined total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that have identical numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond formed when electrons are transferred from one atom to another, creating oppositely charged ions.

Anion

A negatively charged ion created when an atom gains an extra electron.

Cation

A positively charged ion created when an atom loses an electron.

Covalent Bond

A chemical bond formed when electrons are shared between atoms to construct molecules.

Octet Rule

The principle that atoms give up, take in, or share electrons to achieve $8$ electrons in their outermost electron shell to become stable.

Nonpolar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond where electrons are shared equally between atoms, resulting in no regional electrical charges.

Polar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond featuring unequal sharing of electrons due to differences in electronegativity, creating slightly positive and negative regional charges.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak attraction between a positive regional charge on a hydrogen atom in a polar covalent molecule and a negative charge on another polar covalent molecule.

Cohesion

The property of water molecules sticking to one another as a result of hydrogen bonding.

Acidosis

A dangerous physiological condition resulting when blood $pH$ drops below $7.35$.

Alkalosis

A physiological condition characterized by blood $pH$ rising above $7.45$, leading to sustained muscle contractions.

Buffers

Chemical compounds that stabilize solution $pH$ by removing or replacing $H^+$ ions.

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical reactions occurring within the body.

Anabolism

The phase of metabolism involved in building complex molecules from smaller fragments, requiring energy input.

Catabolism

The phase of metabolism involving the breakdown of complex molecules into smaller pieces, releasing energy.

Hydrolysis

A decomposition reaction that uses water to break covalent bonds in a complex molecule.

Dehydration Synthesis

A synthesis reaction where water is removed to form a new covalent bond between smaller molecules.

Active Site

The specific region on an enzyme where substrate molecules bind to undergo a catalyzed chemical reaction.

Substrates

The specific reactant molecules that bind to an enzyme's active site.

ATP

The primary cellular high-energy molecule (adenosine triphosphate) that stores potential energy in covalent bonds to fuel cellular work.

Peroxisomes

Membranous vesicles that break down hydrogen peroxide using catalase, break down fatty acids, and synthesize lipids like cholesterol.

Lysosomes

Membranous vesicles containing digestive enzymes used to break down organic compounds, damaged organelles, and pathogens.

Autolysis

The self-destruction of a cell caused by the release of digestive enzymes following lysosomal membrane breakdown.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum

A membranous network studded with fixed ribosomes responsible for chemical modification, folding, and packaging of new proteins.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

A membranous network without ribosomes that synthesizes lipids and stores glycogen in skeletal muscle and liver cells.

Golgi Apparatus

A stack of flattened membranous cisternae that stores, alters, packages, and ships cellular products via vesicles.

Transcription

The process occurring inside the nucleus where RNA polymerase creates an $mRNA$ copy of a specific $DNA$ gene sequence.

Translation

The process occurring in the cytoplasm where a ribosome reads $mRNA$ codons and uses $tRNA$ to assemble amino acids into a polypeptide.

Osmosis

The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane down its concentration gradient toward higher solute concentrations.

Hemolysis

The bursting of red blood cells caused by net water influx when placed in a hypotonic solution.

Crenation

The shrinking and shriveling of red blood cells caused by net water loss when placed in a hypertonic solution.

Active Transport

An energy-dependent transport mechanism that uses $ATP$ to move substances across a membrane against their concentration gradient.

Phagocytosis

A form of endocytosis ("cell eating") where cytoplasmic extensions called pseudopodia engulf solid objects into a phagosome.

Pinocytosis

A form of endocytosis ("cell drinking") where vesicles form to bring extracellular fluid and liquids into the cell.

Exocytosis

A bulk transport process where intracellular vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane to release contents outside the cell.

Interphase

The major phase of the cell cycle during which a cell grows, carries out normal functions, and replicates its $DNA$ in preparation for division.

Metastasis

The migration of malignant cancer cells from a primary tumor to establish secondary tumors in other tissues via blood or lymph vessels.