Biology 2402: Anatomy and Physiology Overview

A collection of 100 vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts in anatomy and physiology, as well as relevant chemistry principles.

Anatomy

The study of the structure of body parts and their relationships to one another.

Physiology

The study of the functions of the body parts and how they operate.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of stable internal conditions despite changes in the external environment.

Setpoint

The ideal value of a variable that the body tries to maintain.

Feedback Mechanism

A process that uses the conditions of one component to regulate another.

Negative Feedback

A mechanism that reverses a deviation from the setpoint.

Positive Feedback

A mechanism that increases a deviation from the setpoint.

Atom

The basic unit of a chemical element.

Element

A pure substance made of only one kind of atom.

Molecule

Two or more atoms bonded together.

Compound

A substance formed when two or more different elements are chemically bonded.

Ion

An atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

Isotope

Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.

Chemical Bond

The force that holds two atoms together.

Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond involving the sharing of electron pairs between atoms.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond formed through the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond between two molecules resulting from an electrostatic attraction between a proton in one molecule and an electronegative atom in the other.

pH Scale

A scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution.

Acidic Solution

A solution with a pH less than 7.

Basic Solution

A solution with a pH greater than 7.

Buffer

A solution that resists changes in pH when an acid or base is added.

Monomer

The basic building block of a polymer.

Polymer

A large molecule composed of many repeated subunits.

Dehydration Synthesis

A chemical reaction that builds up molecules by losing water molecules.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that breaks down molecules by the addition of water.

Carbohydrates

Organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, typically in a 1:2:1 ratio.

Lipids

A diverse group of hydrophobic molecules, including fats and oils.

Proteins

Large biomolecules consisting of one or more long chains of amino acid residues.

Nucleic Acids

Biomolecules essential for all known forms of life, including DNA and RNA.

Enzyme

A protein that acts as a catalyst to speed up chemical reactions.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The main energy currency of the cell.

Cytoplasm

The material within a cell, excluding the nucleus, that contains organelles.

Plasma Membrane

The cell membrane that surrounds the cytoplasm, providing structure and regulating the movement of substances in and out.

Organelles

Specialized structures within a cell that perform distinct functions.

Fluid Mosaic Model

A model that describes the structure of cell membranes as a mosaic of various proteins that float in or on the fluid lipid bilayer.

Diffusion

The movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Facilitated Diffusion

The process by which molecules pass across the membrane through cell membrane channels.

Active Transport

The movement of particles against the concentration gradient, requiring energy.

Osmosis

The diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane.

Tonicity

The ability of a solution to cause a cell to gain or lose water.

Isotonic Solution

A solution that has an equal concentration of solutes as inside the cell.

Hypertonic Solution

A solution that has a higher concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the cell.

Hypotonic Solution

A solution that has a lower concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the cell.

Exocytosis

The process by which materials are expelled from a cell.

Endocytosis

The process of taking substances into the cell by vesicle formation.

Phagocytosis

The process by which a cell engulfs large particles or cells.

Pinocytosis

The process by which a cell engulfs liquid or small particles.

Cytoskeleton

A network of fibers that provides structural support for the cell.

Centrioles

Cylindrical organelles involved in cell division.

Cilia and Flagella

Hair-like structures that aid in cell movement.

Nucleus

The cell organelle that contains DNA and coordinates cell activities.

Chromatin

The complex of DNA and proteins found in the nucleus.

Chromosomes

Structures that carry genetic information and are formed from chromatin during cell division.

Nucleolus

A dense region within the nucleus where ribosome production occurs.

Genetic Code

The set of rules by which information encoded in genetic material is translated into proteins.

Transcription

The process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template.

Translation

The process of synthesizing proteins from messenger RNA.

tRNA (Transfer RNA)

RNA molecules that transfer amino acids to the ribosome during protein synthesis.

mRNA (Messenger RNA)

RNA that carries the genetic information from DNA to the ribosome.

rRNA (Ribosomal RNA)

RNA that forms an integral part of the ribosome's structure.

Cell Cycle

The series of phases that a cell goes through in order to divide and replicate.

Mitosis

A type of cell division that results in two identical daughter cells.

Cytokinesis

The process during cell division in which the cytoplasm divides.