BIOL 204
BIOL 204 FINAL EXAM REVIEW 2026
Anatomy
Biological FORM of an organism
Physiology
Biological FUNCTIONS an organism performs
Adaptations for increasing surface area
- In vertebrates, space between cells is filled with interstitial fluid for exchange of
material
- Complex body plans include circulatory fluid (eg. blood)
Organization of animal bodies
cells -> tissues -> organs -> organ systems
Epithelial tissue
- Lines the surface of the body, organs, and body cavities
- Cells are closely joined
Connective tissue
- Binds and supports other tissue
- Contains cells scattered in extracellular matrix (fibers in liquid, jelly, or solid)
Three types of proteinaceous fibers in connective tissue matrix
- Collagen : provides strength and flexibility
- Reticular fibers : connects connective tissue to other tissues
- Elastic fibers : stretch and snap back to original length
Muscle tissue
- Responsible for body movement
- Consists of fibers of actin and myosin
Three types of muscle tissue
- Skeletal : voluntary motion (attached to bone by tendons)
- Smooth : involuntary motion
- Cardiac : contraction of heart (branched fibers with intercalated disks to relay signals
between cells and help synchronize heart contractions
BIOL 204
,BIOL 204
Nervous tissue
- Receives, transmits, and processes information
- Neurons : nerve cells that transmit nerve impulses
- Glial cells (glia) : support neurons
Endocrine system
Transmits chemical signals called hormones throughout entire body through blood
Nervous system
Transmits information between specific locations
Homeostasis
- Maintenance of internal environment regardless of external environment
- Fluctuations above or below a set point detected by a sensor serve as a stimulus, which
triggers a response to return body to set point
How is homeostasis maintained?
Regulating or conforming (e.g. temperature regulation)
Regulator
Internal mechanisms control body; endothermy
Conformer
External factors control body; ectothermy
Five adaptations for temperature regulation
Insulation, circulatory adaptations, evaporative heat loss, behavioral, adjusting
metabolic heat production
Insulation
Integumentary system (hair, feathers, skin) helps to trap warm air close to the body and
fat/blubber layers
Circulatory adaptations
Regulation of blood flow near the surface controls heat loss/gain (through vasodilation
and vasoconstriction)
Circulatory adaptations - countercurrent exchange
Transfers heat from fluids travelling in opposite directions
BIOL 204
, BIOL 204
Evaporative heat loss
Lose heat through evaporation of water through skin
Behavioral
Animals will position themselves relative to sun; others huddle together
Adjusting metabolic heat production
Increased muscle activity and hormones stimulating mitochondria produces heat
(thermogenesis) (e.g. shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis brown fat cells in
mammals)
Circadian rhythm
Cyclic homeostasis; physiological changes that occur roughly every 24 hours
Nutrition
Process of acquiring and breaking apart food
Three dietary categories
- Herbivores : eat mainly plants and algae
- Carnivores : eat other animals
- Omnivores : regularly consume animals as well as plants or algae
Ingestion
Act of eating or feeding
Suspension feeders
Small food particles filtered from water
Substrate/deposit feeders
Animals live in or on their food
Fluid feeders
Nutrient-rich fluid is sucked
Bulk feeders
Relatively large pieces of food are eaten. Most animals
Intracellular digestion
Food particles are engulfed by phagocytosis; food vacuoles fuse with lysosomes
BIOL 204
BIOL 204 FINAL EXAM REVIEW 2026
Anatomy
Biological FORM of an organism
Physiology
Biological FUNCTIONS an organism performs
Adaptations for increasing surface area
- In vertebrates, space between cells is filled with interstitial fluid for exchange of
material
- Complex body plans include circulatory fluid (eg. blood)
Organization of animal bodies
cells -> tissues -> organs -> organ systems
Epithelial tissue
- Lines the surface of the body, organs, and body cavities
- Cells are closely joined
Connective tissue
- Binds and supports other tissue
- Contains cells scattered in extracellular matrix (fibers in liquid, jelly, or solid)
Three types of proteinaceous fibers in connective tissue matrix
- Collagen : provides strength and flexibility
- Reticular fibers : connects connective tissue to other tissues
- Elastic fibers : stretch and snap back to original length
Muscle tissue
- Responsible for body movement
- Consists of fibers of actin and myosin
Three types of muscle tissue
- Skeletal : voluntary motion (attached to bone by tendons)
- Smooth : involuntary motion
- Cardiac : contraction of heart (branched fibers with intercalated disks to relay signals
between cells and help synchronize heart contractions
BIOL 204
,BIOL 204
Nervous tissue
- Receives, transmits, and processes information
- Neurons : nerve cells that transmit nerve impulses
- Glial cells (glia) : support neurons
Endocrine system
Transmits chemical signals called hormones throughout entire body through blood
Nervous system
Transmits information between specific locations
Homeostasis
- Maintenance of internal environment regardless of external environment
- Fluctuations above or below a set point detected by a sensor serve as a stimulus, which
triggers a response to return body to set point
How is homeostasis maintained?
Regulating or conforming (e.g. temperature regulation)
Regulator
Internal mechanisms control body; endothermy
Conformer
External factors control body; ectothermy
Five adaptations for temperature regulation
Insulation, circulatory adaptations, evaporative heat loss, behavioral, adjusting
metabolic heat production
Insulation
Integumentary system (hair, feathers, skin) helps to trap warm air close to the body and
fat/blubber layers
Circulatory adaptations
Regulation of blood flow near the surface controls heat loss/gain (through vasodilation
and vasoconstriction)
Circulatory adaptations - countercurrent exchange
Transfers heat from fluids travelling in opposite directions
BIOL 204
, BIOL 204
Evaporative heat loss
Lose heat through evaporation of water through skin
Behavioral
Animals will position themselves relative to sun; others huddle together
Adjusting metabolic heat production
Increased muscle activity and hormones stimulating mitochondria produces heat
(thermogenesis) (e.g. shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis brown fat cells in
mammals)
Circadian rhythm
Cyclic homeostasis; physiological changes that occur roughly every 24 hours
Nutrition
Process of acquiring and breaking apart food
Three dietary categories
- Herbivores : eat mainly plants and algae
- Carnivores : eat other animals
- Omnivores : regularly consume animals as well as plants or algae
Ingestion
Act of eating or feeding
Suspension feeders
Small food particles filtered from water
Substrate/deposit feeders
Animals live in or on their food
Fluid feeders
Nutrient-rich fluid is sucked
Bulk feeders
Relatively large pieces of food are eaten. Most animals
Intracellular digestion
Food particles are engulfed by phagocytosis; food vacuoles fuse with lysosomes
BIOL 204
