Metabolism and adverse conditions Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Metabolism and adverse conditions Deck (25)
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1
Q

Which abiotic factors can affect an organisms metabolic rate?

A

Temperature, salinity, pH

2
Q

What is a conformer?

A

An organism which cannot maintain its metabolic rate through physiological mechanisms.

3
Q

What is a conformers internal environment dependent on?

A

Its external environment.

4
Q

What is an advantage of being a conformer?

A

Low metabolic costs

5
Q

What are the disadvantages of being a conformer?

A

Narrow range of ecological niches, cannot tolerate dramatic changes to environment.

6
Q

What is a regulator?

A

An organism which can maintain a steady internal environment by using physiological mechanisms.

7
Q

What is an advantage of being a regulator?

A

Can occupy a wide range of ecological niches.

8
Q

What is a disadvantage of being a regulator?

A

Requires energy to maintain homeostasis.

9
Q

What is homeostasis?

A

Maintaining steady conditions within an organism.

10
Q

What is negative feedback control?

A

Any change in a condition from the optimum is detected by receptors that switch on a corrective mechanism to restore the conditions to normal. The corrective mechanism is then switched off.

11
Q

What is a receptor?

A

Cells which detect changes in the environment and send signals to effectors.

12
Q

What is an effector?

A

Parts of the body that respond to messages send by receptors.

13
Q

Which part of the brain is described as the temperature monitoring centre?

A

Hypothalamus

14
Q

What are the effectors involved in thermoregulation?

A

Sweat glands, skin arterioles, hair erector muscles, skeletal muscles.

15
Q

How are signals sent from the hypothalamus to the effectors in thermoregulation?

A

By nerve impulses

16
Q

What happens in mammals as a response to increased temperature?

A

Increased sweat production, vasodilation, hairs lowered

17
Q

What happens in mammals as a response to decreased temperature?

A

Hair erector muscles contract, vasoconstriction, decreased sweat production, shivering

18
Q

How does sweating lead to a decrease in body temperature?

A

The body evaporates the water from the skin which lowers body temperature by convection.

19
Q

What is vasodilation?

A

When the skin arterioles widen increasing blood flow to the surface of the skin increasing heat loss by radiation.

20
Q

What is vasoconstriction?

A

When the skin arterioles narrow reducing blood flow to the surface of the skin and reducing heat loss by radiation.

21
Q

How do hairs on your body standing up increase temperature?

A

They trap a layer of insulating air reducing heat loss

22
Q

What is an advantage to maintaining a constant body temperature?

A

To ensure the optimum temperature for enzymes to maintain a high metabolic rate.

23
Q

What is thermoregulation?

A

Use of negative feedback control to regulate body temperature in mammals

24
Q

Other than enzyme activity why else is temperature important?

A

It affects diffusion rates, diffusion of oxygen and glucose into cells for respiration is faster in warmer temperatures to maintain high metabolic rates.

25
Q

How can conformers maintain optimum metabolic rates?

A

Behavioural responses like basking on rocks.