Metabolism in conformer and regulators Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a conformer?

A

A conformer’s internal environment is dependent upon its external environment. In other words, their internal conditions are controlled by environmental conditions

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2
Q

What do conformers use behavioural responses for?

A

maintain optimum metabolic rate

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3
Q

Advantages of being a conformer?

A

low metabolic costs, which means that little energy has to be used to drive mechanisms

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4
Q

Disadvantage to conformers?

A

frequently restrict these organisms to narrow ecological niches and lower activity rates

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5
Q

What two areas conformers can be seen doing behavioural responses?

A

responses to changes in osmolarity and temperature

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6
Q

Conformer graph looks like?

A

Increasing upwards

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7
Q

What are thermoconformers and give an example and method of control?

A

Thermoconformers are described as animals that cannot regulate their body temperature internally. This includes most insects and reptiles. The most frequent method of control is that of adapted behaviour.

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8
Q

Examples of adapted behaviour in thermoconformers?

A

vaporisation (getting wet);
convection (losing or gaining heat to an airflow);
conduction (lying next to some colder or warmer surface or material);
radiation (finding shade or lying on hot rocks).

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9
Q

Advantage and disadvantage for thermoconformers?

A

The major advantage of this behaviour is that little energy is required to maintain a steady body temperature. As the food/energy requirement is much lower for thermoconformers, they can survive erratic food supplies and so increase their chances of survival.
However, should the temperature rise, their need for food will also rise as the metabolic rate increases with the surrounding temperature.

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10
Q

What are regualtors?

A

Regulators are organisms which are able to use metabolic means to regulate their internal environments in response to external environmental changes

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11
Q

Advantage to regualtors?

A

organisms to live more independently of their external environment and occupy a wider range of ecological niches

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12
Q

Disadvantage to regualtors?

A

regulators have higher metabolic costs than conformers

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13
Q

What is the maintenance of an internal environment in a ‘steady state’ called?

A

homeostasis

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14
Q

What do regulator graphs look like?

A

straight line

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15
Q

What is negative feedback?

A

when a condition changes, the opposite effect is produced by the body to return itself to normal.

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16
Q

Negative feedback path?

A
  • receptor detects change in environment by stimulus which sends a message to the control unit eg the brain
  • a decision is made as to how the body is going to respond to the environmental change and a message is sent to the appropriate effector cells
  • These cells perform the response and return the body to its normal state
17
Q

Why is it important to keep our bodies at 37 degrees celcius?

A

temperature increase denatures enzymes and blocks metabolic pathways;
a temperature decrease slows metabolism and affects the functioning of the brain