Metabolic Rates and Gas Exchange

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to metabolic rates, gas exchange processes, and principles of allometry in biology.

Allometry

The study of the relationship of body size to shape, anatomy, physiology, and behavior.

Positive Allometry

When a trait increases disproportionately with body size; larger animals have relatively more of that trait than smaller animals.

Skeletal Mass

The total weight of the bones in an animal's body.

Gas Exchange

The process of oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) being exchanged in the respiratory system.

Circulation

The bulk transport of gases, nutrients, and waste products throughout the body via the blood.

Ventilation

The movement of air or water through a specialized gas exchange organ.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells use oxygen and produce carbon dioxide.

Dalton’s Law

The total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of all the individual gases.

Partial Pressure

The pressure that a particular gas in a mixture would exert if it occupied the entire volume alone.

Fick's Law of Diffusion

The rate of diffusion is proportional to the surface area and the concentration gradient, and inversely proportional to the distance.

Diffusion Coefficient (k)

A constant that depends on the solubility and temperature of the gas, indicating how easily it diffuses.

Oxygen Cascade

The process of oxygen moving from areas of high partial pressure to areas of low partial pressure throughout the biological systems.

Specific Heat

The amount of heat required to change the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius.

Thermal Conductivity

The rate at which heat moves through a material.

Density

Mass per unit volume, indicating how compact or concentrated a substance is.

Solubility

The ability of a substance to dissolve in a solvent, affected by temperature and presence of solutes.