Animal Physiology and Metabolism Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts from animal physiology, including metabolic efficiency, digestive anatomy, osmoregulation, and kidney function.

Aerobic metabolism efficiency

The process where at least $34\%$ of the energy from glucose is captured in a useful form, while the remaining energy is converted to heat to warm the animal and carry out cellular respiration.

Endotherms

Animals that usually maintain a constant body temperature that is higher than that of the environment.

Essential amino acid

An amino acid that cannot be synthesized by cellular biochemical pathways and therefore must be obtained from the diet.

Minerals

Chemical elements other than carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen that are required in the diet and must be obtained from food.

Duodenum

The part of the small intestine where the bulk of digestion takes place and where the pancreas secretes substances into connecting ducts.

Extracellular digestion

A form of digestion relied on by most animals in which food is isolated and broken down in a body compartment rather than inside individual cells.

Metabolic rate factors

Variables that can affect an animal's metabolic rate, including activity level, body size, and body temperature.

Cellulase production in herbivores

Because many herbivores lack the enzyme to break down cellulose, they rely on gut bacteria that produce cellulase.

Small intestine

The primary organ in the digestive system where most nutrient absorption takes place.

Chloride cells

Cells in the gills of marine fish that aid in the removal of excess ions by actively removing them from the body, with water following by osmosis.

Osmoregulators

Organisms that maintain internal solute concentrations that are different from their external environment.

Nitrogenous waste hierarchy

The order of waste products from most water required for elimination to least water required: ammonia, urea, and uric acid.

Distal convoluted tubule solute

The main solute found in the filtrate as it enters this specific part of the nephron is urea.

Loop of Henle

The specific part of the kidney responsible for creating a concentration gradient.

ADH (Antidiuretic hormone)

Also called vasopressin, this hormone increases the permeability of the collecting duct to water to meet osmoregulatory needs.

Nephron

The basic unit of the kidney, which contains the glomerulus, renal tubules, and the collecting duct.

Bladder

The anatomical structure responsible for holding urine until it is excreted from the body.

Renin secretion

A response by the kidneys to an increase in secretion when there is a decrease of $Na^+$ in body fluids (sodium depletion).