Biology 316 Exam 1 2025
Abiotic stressors - -nonliving stressors
Eg. Physical and chemical factors that interact with the animal like temperature, oxygen,
salinity, UV, toxicants, wind, rain
Biotic stressors - -living stressors
Eg. Direct and indirect effects of other organisms including competition (reproductive
competition) , predation, and habitat modification
Coarse scale - -biome
Finer scale - -ecosystem
- the finest scale is a microenvironment of microhabitat
Regulators - -animals that have a PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM for keeping a
variable around a set point.
Eg. Body temp in humans stays around 98.6°
Conformers - -animals that LACK a physiological mechanism for keeping a variable
around a set point.
Eg. Lizards body temps will mimic the ambient temperature of their environment.
Homeostasis - -physiological mechanism to regulate a body parameter. The ability of a
body to regulate a variable at a set point using physiological control mechanisms.
Negative feedback - -this turns a response loop off decreasing a variable
Response loop - -this turns on and will increase a variable
Set point - -homeostasis is attempting to keep a variable at this temp
Normal range - -expected variable measurements
Genotype - -defines the set of a available genes that may or may not be expressed
Phenotype - -defines the observed characteristics of the individual and therefore a
representation of expressed genes
Phenotypic plasticity - -described the interplay between genotype, environment, and
phenotype
Eg. A phenotype is considered plastic when individuals with identical genotypes display
different phenotypes depending on the environment.
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Adjust - -animals, in response to changing conditions will ________ their physiology to
optimize performance.
Acclimation - -the functional compensation over periods of days to weeks in response to
a SINGLE environmental factor (usually lab-based research changing temp only)
Acclimatization - -the functional compensation over periods of days to weeks in
response to MULTIPLE environmental factors (ex. Manipulating temp, humidity, and
wind speed)
Natural selection - -occurs when the fittest individuals can survive and reproduce. We
observe selection of the fittest phenotype and their associated genes.
- over time, adaptation will occur and will increase the frequency in the favored genes.
Energy (E) - -common currency of all life (calories or joules). This is used to do
physiological work. This can also exist as heat.
-This cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change its form
3 types of physiological work - -electrical work, mechanical work, chemical work
Heat - -energy transfers between forms of physiological work are inefficient and some
energy will be lost as ______
Gross energy (of energy flow in animals) - -the food that animals ingest
Net energy (of energy flow in animals) - -the absorbed chemical energy from ingest food
that is used to body functions
Biosynthesis - -(production): growth, reproduction, and storage
Internal work - -(maintenance): maintenance of body function and digestion
External work - -(maintenance): moving around the landscape to obtain resources, find
mates, etc.
Waste - -unabsorbed and unmetabolized energy is lost as urinary and fecal ________
High grade energy - -used to perform physiological work (electrical, mechanical, and
chemical)
Low grade energy - -heat. This energy cannot be used to perform work
Importance of metabolic rate (MR) - -
1) sums of all work done by the body and can be indicative of an animals intensity of
living
BIOL 316