CAS BI 315 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Positive Feedback, Cellular Respiration, Glycogen
Physiological systems: The integration of all systems that functions in the body to explain the
anatomy and mechanics of our body
Physiological challenges:
- Gas exchange (obtaining enough oxygen to be circulated around the body)
- Osmotic balance (water intake/excretion)
- Solute levels (salts etc.) -> urinary portion
- Obtaining energy (food to keep body functioning/running)
- Temp stresses
- Defense (will not be discussed as much)
- Reproduction
- Detecting and responding to stimuli
Physiology of specific groups (aka types of organisms in terms of how we study physiology):
study of other animal groups from mouse to a shark etc.
Comparative physiology: how is organism built and how different are they from other
organisms
- Ex. Gas exchange in human vs in insect, in which oxygen is important but the method for
obtaining these breaths are very different from each other:
- In humans = enough oxygen to produce enough respirations via gas exchange
- In organisms (insects) = no lungs, they have air filled tubes that penetrate their
bodies
Physiology = the study of organismal function
- Complementary perspectives:
- Systems physiology
- Physiological challenges (ecological)
- Species specific (ex. Human physiology)
The study of physiology integrates across levels of biological organization
Physiology deals with questions at multiple time scales (changes that occur over a short period
or long period of time)
- Ex. rapid changes = Fight or flight response; chronic changes (aka acclimation to
different environments such as a tan or body weight); evolutionary changes (lactose
intolerance (some ancestors exposed to milk vs not exposed to milk often); gas
exchange in terms of high altitude) = major changes in groups (?); developmental
changes = individual changes; cyclical changes such as circadian rhythm, biological
clocks
What is homeostasis?
- Homeostasis = what it means to stay alive? Humans buffer/maintain internal
environment in the face of changing conditions
- Ex. Hot day (increased body T) -> sweating (reduce body T); long time between
meals (depleted energy stores) -> hunger/eating (increase energy stores);
behavioral ex. = touching hot surface (causes tissue damage) ->
- Term does not mean that there is a static internal environment, but one in which critical
parameters (which differ in different organisms) are kept within acceptable limits
Document Summary
Physiological systems: the integration of all systems that functions in the body to explain the anatomy and mechanics of our body. Gas exchange (obtaining enough oxygen to be circulated around the body) Obtaining energy (food to keep body functioning/running) Defense (will not be discussed as much) Physiology of specific groups (aka types of organisms in terms of how we study physiology): study of other animal groups from mouse to a shark etc. Comparative physiology: how is organism built and how different are they from other organisms. Gas exchange in human vs in insect, in which oxygen is important but the method for obtaining these breaths are very different from each other: In humans = enough oxygen to produce enough respirations via gas exchange. In organisms (insects) = no lungs, they have air filled tubes that penetrate their bodies. The study of physiology integrates across levels of biological organization.
