BIOL 2500 Exam Study Guide | 2025/2026
- Body movement (move bones, make facial expressions, speak, breathe,
swallow)
- Maintenance of posture (stabilize joints, maintain body position)
Functions of skeletal muscle: - Protection and support (package internal organs and hold them in place)
- Regulating elimination of materials (circular sphincters control
passage of material at orifices)
- Heat production (help maintain body temperature).
Excitability (characteristic of Ability to respond to a stimulus by changing electrical membrane
skeletal muscle tissue) potential (responsive).
Conductivity (characteristic of Involves sending an electrical charge down the length of the cell membrane.
skeletal muscle tissue)
Contractility (characteristic of Exhibited when filaments slide past each other (enables muscles to
skeletal muscle tissue) cause movement).
Extensibility (characteristic of Ability to be stretched.
skeletal muscle tissue)
Elasticity (characteristic of Ability to return to original length following a lengthening or shortening.
skeletal muscle tissue)
What is the epimysium? The epimysium is a dense irregular connective tissue that wraps the whole
muscle.
The perimysium is a dense irregular connective tissue that wraps a
What is the perimysium?
fascicle and houses many blood vessels and nerves.
The endomysium is an areolar connective tissue that wraps
What is the endomysium?
individual muscle fibers, providing electrical insulation, capillary
support, and binding of neighboring cells.
A cordlike structure of dense regular connective tissue
What is a tendon?
(attachment of muscle to bone)
, A thin, flattened sheet of dense irregular tissue (ex. Epicranial
What is an aponeurosis?
aponeurosis - scalp to cranium; attachment of muscle to bone)
Dense irregular connective tissue superficial to epimysium that
What is deep fascia?
separates individual muscles and binds muscles with similar
functions
Areolar and adipose connective tissue superficial to deep fascia
What is superficial fascia?
that separates muscles from skin
How are the collagen fibers of They are continuous and connect into the periosteum and the matrix of bone.
the endo-, peri-, and
epimysium related to bone?
A connective tissue band that separates tendons from muscles
What is a retinaculum?
underneath, such as the flexor retinaculum.
What is a direct (fleshy) There is little separation between muscle and bone, making the
attachment to bone? muscle seem to emerge directly from the bone.
Muscle Origin Bony attachment at stationary end of muscle.
Muscle Belly Thicker, middle region of muscle between origin and insertion.
Muscle Insertion Bony attachment to mobile end of muscle.
The sarcoplasm is the cytoplasm of a muscle cell that contains
What is the sarcoplasm in a muscle
typical organelles, contractile proteins, and other
cell?
specializations.
Myofibrils are bundles of myofilaments enclosed in the
What are myofibrils?
sarcoplasmic reticulum, with hundreds to thousands present in
each muscle cell.
The sarcolemma is the plasma membrane of a muscle cell that
What is the sarcolemma?
contains T-tubules and voltage-gated ion channels.
What are T-tubules? T-tubules are extensions of the sarcolemma that extend deep into the muscle
cell.
What is the function of voltage- They allow for the conduction of electrical signals in muscle cells.
gated ion channels in the
sarcolemma?
The sarcoplasmic reticulum is an internal membrane complex in
What is the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
muscle cells that is similar to smooth endoplasmic reticulum.
Terminal cisternae are blind sacs of the sarcoplasmic reticulum
What are terminal cisternae?
that serve as reservoirs for calcium ions.
What is a triad in muscle cells? A triad consists of two terminal cisternae with a T-tubule in between.
What role do calcium pumps play Calcium pumps import calcium into the sarcoplasmic reticulum,
in muscle cells? where it binds to calmodulin and calsequestrin.
How are calcium release Calcium release channels are triggered by electrical signals
channels activated in muscle traveling down the T- tubule, releasing calcium into the
- Body movement (move bones, make facial expressions, speak, breathe,
swallow)
- Maintenance of posture (stabilize joints, maintain body position)
Functions of skeletal muscle: - Protection and support (package internal organs and hold them in place)
- Regulating elimination of materials (circular sphincters control
passage of material at orifices)
- Heat production (help maintain body temperature).
Excitability (characteristic of Ability to respond to a stimulus by changing electrical membrane
skeletal muscle tissue) potential (responsive).
Conductivity (characteristic of Involves sending an electrical charge down the length of the cell membrane.
skeletal muscle tissue)
Contractility (characteristic of Exhibited when filaments slide past each other (enables muscles to
skeletal muscle tissue) cause movement).
Extensibility (characteristic of Ability to be stretched.
skeletal muscle tissue)
Elasticity (characteristic of Ability to return to original length following a lengthening or shortening.
skeletal muscle tissue)
What is the epimysium? The epimysium is a dense irregular connective tissue that wraps the whole
muscle.
The perimysium is a dense irregular connective tissue that wraps a
What is the perimysium?
fascicle and houses many blood vessels and nerves.
The endomysium is an areolar connective tissue that wraps
What is the endomysium?
individual muscle fibers, providing electrical insulation, capillary
support, and binding of neighboring cells.
A cordlike structure of dense regular connective tissue
What is a tendon?
(attachment of muscle to bone)
, A thin, flattened sheet of dense irregular tissue (ex. Epicranial
What is an aponeurosis?
aponeurosis - scalp to cranium; attachment of muscle to bone)
Dense irregular connective tissue superficial to epimysium that
What is deep fascia?
separates individual muscles and binds muscles with similar
functions
Areolar and adipose connective tissue superficial to deep fascia
What is superficial fascia?
that separates muscles from skin
How are the collagen fibers of They are continuous and connect into the periosteum and the matrix of bone.
the endo-, peri-, and
epimysium related to bone?
A connective tissue band that separates tendons from muscles
What is a retinaculum?
underneath, such as the flexor retinaculum.
What is a direct (fleshy) There is little separation between muscle and bone, making the
attachment to bone? muscle seem to emerge directly from the bone.
Muscle Origin Bony attachment at stationary end of muscle.
Muscle Belly Thicker, middle region of muscle between origin and insertion.
Muscle Insertion Bony attachment to mobile end of muscle.
The sarcoplasm is the cytoplasm of a muscle cell that contains
What is the sarcoplasm in a muscle
typical organelles, contractile proteins, and other
cell?
specializations.
Myofibrils are bundles of myofilaments enclosed in the
What are myofibrils?
sarcoplasmic reticulum, with hundreds to thousands present in
each muscle cell.
The sarcolemma is the plasma membrane of a muscle cell that
What is the sarcolemma?
contains T-tubules and voltage-gated ion channels.
What are T-tubules? T-tubules are extensions of the sarcolemma that extend deep into the muscle
cell.
What is the function of voltage- They allow for the conduction of electrical signals in muscle cells.
gated ion channels in the
sarcolemma?
The sarcoplasmic reticulum is an internal membrane complex in
What is the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
muscle cells that is similar to smooth endoplasmic reticulum.
Terminal cisternae are blind sacs of the sarcoplasmic reticulum
What are terminal cisternae?
that serve as reservoirs for calcium ions.
What is a triad in muscle cells? A triad consists of two terminal cisternae with a T-tubule in between.
What role do calcium pumps play Calcium pumps import calcium into the sarcoplasmic reticulum,
in muscle cells? where it binds to calmodulin and calsequestrin.
How are calcium release Calcium release channels are triggered by electrical signals
channels activated in muscle traveling down the T- tubule, releasing calcium into the
