LEARNING GOALS, past
The following are the learning goals for the second section of BIO214, grouped by lecture number.
To review the learning goals for the current section of the course, click here.
9 - Animals ingest organic molecules in their food. These organic molecules are used to fulfil what two basic needs?
9 - What is a surface area:volume ratio, and how does it vary as a function of size? How are exchange organs like the digestive tract or lungs structured in order to permit animals to grow to large body sizes?
9 - What is homeostasis, and why is negative feedback essential for it to occur? What role does the circulatory system play in homeostasis?
10 - Learn the anatomical features of epithelia: apical/basal polarity; tight junctions; desmosomes; basement membrane.
10 - Be able to describe epithelia as simple vs. stratified; squamous vs. cuboidal vs. columnar.
10 - What are the distinguishing features of the three categories of muscle?
10 - What 3 different kinds of cells are found in general connective tissues? What are their functions?
10 - How does the extracellular matrix of cartilage and bone differ from that of general connective tissues in terms of [i] chemical composition and [ii] mechanical properties?
11 - Learn the names and meaning of the 4 steps in the process of obtaining nutrition.
11 - Learn the organs of the mammalian digestive tube, and the tissue organization of the tube wall. Be sure to know the difference between the apical and basal surfaces of the gut epithelium.
11 - What is the relationship between cell death and cell division in the digestive tube epithelium?
11 - Learn the mammalian digestive glands and the products they secrete. Why are they called exocrine glands?
12 - Learn the major steps in the digestion of proteins, i.e. which compounds are involved, where are they synthesized, and where/how do they act?
12 - Learn the major steps in the digestion of carbohydrates, i.e. which compounds are involved, where are they synthesized, and where/how do they act?
12 - Learn the major steps in the digestion of fat, i.e. which compounds are involved, where are they synthesized, and where/how do they act?
12 - What features of the digestive tube protect it from digestion by pepsin? Is the same strategy used by the stomach and the duodenum?
12 - Learn the anatomy of the intestinal wall, i.e. folds, villi, and microvilli. How does this anatomy facilitate absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream?
12 - How do the alpha and beta cells of the pancreas insure that the body maintains a relatively constant concentration of glucose in the blood?
13 - Learn the anatomy of the human heart, and the pathway of blood flow through it [see Campbell, Fig. 42.5].
13 - What is different about the anatomy of the heart and circulatory systems in a fish and a mammal? What is the meaning of 'double circulation'?
13 - How do the heart valves determine the directionality of blood flow?
13 - What is the sequence of steps by which electrical signals spread through the heart muscle and cause contraction?
13 - Learn the appropriate terminology of blood vessels: arteries; veins; capillaries; blood; interstitial fluid.
14 - Learn the anatomy and functional properties of the different classes of blood vessel.
14 - How do pressure and velocity change as blood flows through its circuit (arteriescapillariesveins)? How does the arterial blood pressure change during the cycle of the heartbeat?
14 - Why does the blood continue to flow when the heart is between contractions?
14 - Understand the relationship betweem blood pressure, osmotic pressure, and water gain/loss along the length of a capillary.
14 - What are vasoconstriction and vasodilation? How do precapillary sphincters regulate blood flow to certain organs?
15 - Learn the basic features of respiratory surfaces - i.e. large surface area; short distance between respiratory medium and blood.
15 - How do fish ventilate their gills? What is countercurrent exchange, and how does it maximize the absorption of O2 by the fish's gills?
15 - What is anatomy of the alveoli in a human lung? How are they specialized to function as a respiratory surface?
15 - How does the muscular contraction (and subsequent relaxation) of the diaphragm lead to inhalation (and exhalation) in humans? Why is this process called 'negative-pressure' breathing?
15 - How does the 'tidal breathing' of humans differ from the 'countercurrent breathing' of birds? Which is more efficient at absorbing O2 from the inhaled air?
16 - Understand the concept of partial pressure, particularly as it applies to the diffusion of dissolved gases.
16 - Learn the pathway taken by an O2 molecule as it diffuses from air to hemoglobin. You should know the pertinent fluid compartments, cells, and the polarity (apical vs. basal) of their cell membranes.
16 - What is the molecular structure of hemoglobin? What does it mean that hemoglobin exhibits cooperativity?
16 - What is the hemoglobin:O2 dissociation curve [Campbell Fig. 48.28A], and how does it relate to the ability of blood to absorb O2 in the lungs and release O2 in other tissues?
16 - Learn the biochemistry of CO2 transport in blood. What is the Bohr shift, and how does it help to insure that metabolically active tissues obtain a large quantity of O2?
17 - What is water balance? What chemical compounds contribute most greatly to the maintenance of water balance?
17 - How does osmosis affect the water balance of saltwater fish and freshwater fish? How does each kind of fish maintain water balance in its particular environment?
17 - What adaptations protect terrestrial animals from excess water loss by evaporation?
17 - What is the structure of Bowman's capsule, and how does it account for the filtration step of human excretion?
17 - What is the relationship of the initial kidney filtrate to the urine that is eventually excreted? How does urea become concentrated in the urine?
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