Deck 1: Homeostasis and Integration: The Foundations of Physiology

Question 1

Physiology is the study of

A) matter, energy and their interactions.
B) how organisms function.
C) the mind.
D) temperament and character based on outward appearances.

Answer 1

how organisms function.

Question 2

The process of maintaining physiological stability in the face of disturbance is referred to as

A) homeostasis.
B) homeothermy.
C) home remedy.
D) homeopathy.

Answer 2

homeostasis.

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Structure/function relationships are evident at the organismal level, but not at the molecular level.
B) Evolution by natural selection led to physiologic adaptation historically, but is not relevant to extant organisms.
C) Homeostasis is the tendency toward relative stability in the internal environment of an organism.
D) Feedback control refers specifically to the homeostatic mechanisms that help organisms stop eating when they're satiated.

Answer 3

Homeostasis is the tendency toward relative stability in the internal environment of an organism.

Question 4

The August Krogh Principle states that

A) understanding physiology can only be accomplished through the study of evolution by natural selection.
B) the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
C) understanding physiological phenomena is enhanced by studying model organisms that have adapted to deal with particular physiological challenges.
D) salamanders are good for studying regeneration of limbs since what will be learned can be applied to human medicine.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT part of the hypothetico-deductive method of scientific investigation?

A) proving one's hypothesis
B) asking questions about the natural world
C) proposing explanations for phenomena in the natural world
D) designing experiments that enable one to test a hypothesis
E) conducting experiments and making observations

Question 6

The smallest unit of life is

A) a DNA molecule.
B) a cell.
C) an organelle.
D) a virus.
E) a protein.

Question 7

The basic functions of all cells include

A) self-organization.
B) self-regulation.
C) self-support (structural) and movement.
D) self-replication.
E) all of the above

Question 8

Which of the following terms have NO relationship?

A) adaptations and cost-benefit ratio
B) homologous traits and a common ancestry
C) negative feedback and set point
D) feedforward system and acclimiatization
E) antagonistic control and two effectors

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true?

A) The only physiological function for which surface-area-to-volume ratio is relevant is digestion.
B) The only physiological function for which surface-area-to-volume ratio is irrelevant is reproduction.
C) For any physiological function, a high surface-area-to-volume ratio is advantageous.
D) Surface area increases as the square of the linear dimension while volume increases as the cube.
E) All statements are true.

Question 10

With respect to thermoregulation, most fishes are

A) regulators.
B) conformers.
C) warm-blooded.
D) best fried.

Question 11

Enantiostasis is

A) the maintenance of a nearly constant internal environment by direct compensatory mechanisms.
B) the maintenance of one of two constant internal environments, in which the two environments are mirror images of each other.
C) the maintenance of a nearly constant internal environment by an indirect compensatory mechanism.
D) none of these.

Question 12

From a physiological perspective, the increase in pelage (i.e. fur) that some mammals experience in winter represents

A) acclimation.
B) acclimatization.
C) adaptation.
D) feedback inhibition.

Question 13

Some hormones act to regulate the concentration of intracellular signals like cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP, or cAMP) by activating or inhibiting adenylyl cyclase, the enzyme responsible for its production, or by activating or inhibiting phosphodiesterases, which are responsible for its destruction. Cyclic AMP, in turn, functions by activating enzyme cascades that set certain metabolic pathways in motion. The regulation of cAMP levels in cells is an example of

A) homeostasis.
B) rheostasis.
C) equilibrium.
D) adaptation.
E) all of these.

Question 14

In physiological terms, a set point can be defined as

A) the value of a parameter, such as the concentration of sugar in the blood, that homeostatic mechanisms aim to maintain.
B) the value of a parameter, such as the concentration of sugar in the blood, that set homeostatic mechanisms in motion.
C) the location in a thermal gradient at which a poikilothermic organism rests, reflecting is preferred body temperature.
D) the winning stroke in a tennis match.

Question 15

Prior to being used as subjects, many laboratory animals are given a period of time to get used to the conditions in the laboratory, e.g., the light/dark cycle. The process they undergo during this time is referred to as

A) acclimation.
B) acclimatization.
C) adaptation.
D) adjustment.
E) evolution.

Question 16

The nervous system is an example of a system.

A) whole-body control
B) maintenance
C) support and movement
D) reproductive
E) solar plexus

Question 17

Drinking, a behavioral effector of homeostatic control of body fluid levels, involves which of the following physiological systems?

A) nervous
B) endocrine
C) muscular
D) skeletal
E) all of these

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT transported by the circulatory system?

A) nutrients
B) dissolved gases
C) electrolytes
D) heat
E) none of these

Question 19

Which of the following disciplinary courses of study contribute to understanding physiology?

A) physics
B) genomics
C) evolution
D) molecular biology
E) all of these

Question 20

Teleology is

A) the study of bony fishes.
B) the study of life on other planets.
C) the study of media for mass communication.
D) explanations that presume a purposeful goal for evolutionary adaptations.
E) the study of bald-headed men.

Question 21

Pancreatic acinar cells are specialized for secreting digestive enzymes ultimately into the small intestine. This specialization reflects an elaboration of which of the following basic cell functions?

A) obtaining oxygen and nutrients
B) eliminating wastes
C) synthesizing components needed for the cell's survival
D) controlling movement of materials between the cell and its environment
E) reproducing

Question 22

Which of the following body parameters is NOT homeostatically maintained?

A) concentration of blood sugar
B) concentration of dissolved gases
C) blood volume
D) blood pressure
E) urine volume

Question 23

Based on phylogenetic analysis, to which of the following phyla are chordates most closely related?

A) Porifera (e.g. sponges)
B) Echinodermata (e.g. sea stars)
C) Platyhelminthes (e.g. flatworms)
D) Arthropoda (e.g. insects)
E) Mollusca (e.g. octopi)

Question 24

The parathyroid gland, which secretes parathyroid hormone, is an organ comprising mainly tissue.

A) nervous
B) muscle
C) connective
D) epithelial

Question 25

Salivary glands, which secrete amylase into the oral cavity, comprise _______________ tissue.

A) nervous
B) muscle
C) connective
D) epithelial

Question 26

Which statement about a feedforward system is true?

A) Feedforward systems anticipate oncoming disturbances.
B) Feedforward systems reduce the delay response associated with negative
Feedback systems.
C) The production and accompanying response insulin following the ingestion of
Food is one type of feedforward system.
D) All of these are true.
E) None of these are true.

Question 27

Which of the following terms have NO relationship?

A) analogous traits and independent evolution
B) chordata and dorsal notochord
C) dormancy and acclimatization
D) acclimation and controlled environment
E) none of these

Question 28

Which of the following statements is true?

A) The spine evolved as an adaptation for swimming in fish.
B) Some organisms have vestigial genes.
C) Enantiostasis involves a change in two variables.
D) Two of these.
E) All of these.

Question 29

Glial cells of the brain are remarkable for their ability to avoid exploding when they are placed in distilled water. This ability comes in part as a consequence of activating ion transport mechanisms that enable them to control cell volume. This activity is an example of

A) self-organization.
B) self-regulation.
C) self-support (structural) and movement.
D) self-replication.
E) all of these.

Question 30

Which of the following exemplify the basic cellular function of structural "self-support and movement"?

A) ciliary beating in the respiratory epithelium of the trachea
B) flagellar beating of sperm cells
C) microvilli on the luminal surface of intestinal epithelial cells
D) muscle contraction
E) all of these

Question 31

Which of the following is considered to be homeostatic?

A) locomotion.
B) nerve conductance.
C) mammalian body temperature.
D) Two responses are homeostatic.
E) No responses are homeostatic.

Question 32

Smaller birds tend to lay smaller eggs with a smaller yolk supply than larger birds. This would be recognized as an example of

A) down regulation.
B) a preadaptation.
C) genetic fitness.
D) a cost-benefit trade off.
E) intrinsic control.

Question 33

The presence of mitochondria in virtually all eukaryotic cells is attributed to the historical existence of bacterial endosymbionts which invaded ancestral eukaryotes. This explanation could be considered

A) mechanistic.
B) evolutionary.
C) both of these.
D) neither of these.

Question 34

Pronghorn antelopes are able to run at high altitudes where oxygen is scant relative to low altitudes for long periods of time. This ability is attributed to the superabundance of mitochondria in their limb muscles. This explanation could be considered

A) mechanistic.
B) evolutionary.
C) both of these.
D) neither of these.

Question 35

Organisms, like the arctic fox, that live in cold environments have evolved counter-current heat exchangers in their limbs to help maintain their body temperature at a level well above the ambient temperature. This explanation could be considered

A) mechanistic.
B) evolutionary.
C) teleological.
D) all of these.
E) none of these.

Question 36

Insulin is secreted from the pancreatic islets of Langerhans in response to elevated levels of glucose in the blood plasma. The effect of insulin is to stimulate cells to take up glucose (out of the plasma), resulting in decreased plasma glucose levels. This system is an example of the physiological principle of

A) homeostasis.
B) homeothermy.
C) home remedy.
D) homeopathy.
E) digestion.

Question 37

An unreferenced negative feedback system will include

A) an integrator.
B) an effector.
C) both of these.
D) neither of these.

Question 38

Biological features are the result of variation and natural selection.

Question 39

In a evolutionary tree constructed using morphological and molecular data, annelids
would be more closely related to mollusks nematodes.

Question 40

In populations where social homeostasis is evident, an increase in population density
would likely trigger a response within the colony causing a reduction in breeding.

Question 41

The combined result of shivering to raise body heat and sweating to lower body heat is
an example of antagonistic control of body temperature.

Question 42

Positive feedback mechanisms continually move the controlled variable in the direction
of the initial change making them dangerous and not beneficial to humans.

Question 43

The primary function of the integumentary system is similar to that of the plasma
membrane to a cell.

Question 44

Bird wings and insect wings are considered to be homologous structures.

Question 45

In humans, the muscles responsible for moving the outer visible part of the ear, the
pinna, are considered to be vestigial structures.

Question 46

Nonhomoeostatic regulation is referred to as rheostasis.

Question 47

With regard to homeostic mechanisms, extrinsic control factors originate outside of the body and intrinsic factors originate within the body.

Question 48

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-A feature of all cells

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 49

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Skeletal muscle

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 50

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Cardiac muscle

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 51

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Smooth muscle

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 52

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Epithelium

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 53

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Exocrine

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 54

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Endocrine

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 55

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Birth

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 56

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Pathophysiology

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 57

Match each sentence with the most appropriate choice:

-Internal fluid environment

A) cell membrane
B) muscle that moves the skeleton
C) muscle found in the heart
D) muscle found in the wall of the stomach
E) tissue found in glands
F) ducted
G) ductless
H) positive feedback
I) disease
J) extracellular fluid

Question 58

Write an essay in PHYSIOLOGICAL terms agreeing with or disagreeing with the following statement from your text:
"Reproductive systems are not essential for homeostasis and therefore are not essential for survival of the individual."

Question 59

Describe why the respiratory system is a good example of a system involved in
maintaining homeostasis rather than homostasis.

Question 60

Describe a situation in which the breakdown of glycogen by a cell reflects exercise of local control and a situation in which the same process reflects response to commands from an "integrator."

Question 61

Many biologists do not consider viruses to be living because they are unable to perform some of the functions common to cells, and by extension, to living organisms. Choose one of the functions from the list below and describe whether viruses can or cannot perform that function. Conclude whether you consider viruses to be living.
a. self-organization
b. self-regulation
c. self-support (structural) and movement
d. self-replication
e. all of the above