lOMoAR cPSD| 22962964
Physiology and Cell Biology 3200 Study Guide | Cell
Structure, Function & Human Physiology Revision
questions for Life Science Students
PHYSIOLOGY AND CELL BIOLOGY 3200 SPRING 2026
Section 1: HOMEOSTASIS & CELLULAR MEMBRANE FUNCTIONS
Maegen Ackermann, PhD Graves Hall rm 5198
Reading assignments for Section 1 lectures:
Lecture 1: Organization of the body and Introduction to Homeostasis
Sections 1.1-1.5, 3.1-3.2
Lecture 2: Homeostasis, Fluid Composition, Introduction to Cell Membranes
Sections 1.6-1.9, 2.2-2.3, 3.3, 3.8-3.9, 4.1
Lecture 3: Cell membranes and membrane transport
Sections 4.1- 4.4
Lecture 4: Cell receptors/signal transduction
Sections 5.1-5.2
TISSUES OF THE BODY & HOMEOSTASIS (CH 1)
Introduction
What is physiology? Anatomy is the study of structure.
However, the function of a tissue or organ is closely linked to its structure.
E.g. The structure of the heart makes it possible for the heart to function as a pump.
The term physiology literally means:___________________________ It
is the study of biological function: ______________________________
How do we approach understanding physiology?
A lot of it will be discussed in terms of ____________________________
E.g.: how does an increase in the metabolic activity of a muscle lead to an increase in blood flow
to that muscle?
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Example of a physiology _________________.
Organization and tissues of the body
The body is organized in a hierarchical structure:
________________________________________________________
Cells: The simplest structural units into which a complex multicellular organism can be divided
and still retain the characteristics of life.
What are some of these functions that are characteristic of life and that are common to almost all
cells?
1. Cells exchange materials with their environment
2. They obtain energy from organic nutrients
4. They can duplicate themselves
3. They synthesize complex molecules
5. ______________________________________________________________
In development, cells specialize to perform certain functions. That is called: ________________.
There are four broad types of cells:
1. Muscle cells (also called myocytes) __________________________________. There are
skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle cells.
2. Nerve cells (also called neurons)_____________________________________. They
often control the activity of other cells.
3. Epithelial cells: located at the surface of the body or a hollow organ, are specialized for
___________________________________.
4. Connective tissue cells: ___________________________________________.
These include loose connective tissue, dense connective tissue, blood, cartilage, bone, and
adipose tissue.
Tissues: A tissue is an aggregate of differentiated cells with _______________.
Tissues are also categorized into 4 general types:
1. Muscle tissue
2. Nervous tissue
3. Epithelial tissue (Epithelial tissue is also referred to as ______________.)
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, lOMoAR cPSD| 22962964
4. Connective tissue (Connective tissue cells produce an extracellular matrix for cell
attachment and signaling in all tissues.)
An organ: A collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function, e.g. the
heart.
An organ system: organs that are linked together to serve an overall function, e.g. the
cardiovascular system or the gastrointestinal system.
The organism coordinates the activities of these systems to maintain a stable internal
environment. This actually means managing the content and distribution of body fluids in
response to changes or external stimuli.
Body Fluid compartments (Textbook Figure 1-3)
The cells that make up complex organisms exist in an “internal sea” of extracellular fluid
enclosed within the integument of the body.
In animals with a closed vascular system, the extracellular fluids are compartmentalized to
enable exchange of nutrients and waste.
-considering some numbers
► Percentage of the body that is water:
► How much water is that for a 70 kg man?
► How much is that in liters?
► Calculate the Extracellular Fluid Volume or ECF.
► 20% of the extracellular fluid is inside the cardiovascular system and is constantly being
pumped around to transport materials. This is:____________________.
80% of ECF is located between the cells, it is called __________________________.
► In our example, calculate the plasma volume and the interstitial fluid volume.
Plasma volume =
Interstitial fluid volume =
► Does that mean that the blood volume is 2.8 L?
A: No, in addition to the plasma, there are blood cells, RBC and WBC.
► The following diagram shows the body fluid compartments (study and interpret)
pg. 3
Physiology and Cell Biology 3200 Study Guide | Cell
Structure, Function & Human Physiology Revision
questions for Life Science Students
PHYSIOLOGY AND CELL BIOLOGY 3200 SPRING 2026
Section 1: HOMEOSTASIS & CELLULAR MEMBRANE FUNCTIONS
Maegen Ackermann, PhD Graves Hall rm 5198
Reading assignments for Section 1 lectures:
Lecture 1: Organization of the body and Introduction to Homeostasis
Sections 1.1-1.5, 3.1-3.2
Lecture 2: Homeostasis, Fluid Composition, Introduction to Cell Membranes
Sections 1.6-1.9, 2.2-2.3, 3.3, 3.8-3.9, 4.1
Lecture 3: Cell membranes and membrane transport
Sections 4.1- 4.4
Lecture 4: Cell receptors/signal transduction
Sections 5.1-5.2
TISSUES OF THE BODY & HOMEOSTASIS (CH 1)
Introduction
What is physiology? Anatomy is the study of structure.
However, the function of a tissue or organ is closely linked to its structure.
E.g. The structure of the heart makes it possible for the heart to function as a pump.
The term physiology literally means:___________________________ It
is the study of biological function: ______________________________
How do we approach understanding physiology?
A lot of it will be discussed in terms of ____________________________
E.g.: how does an increase in the metabolic activity of a muscle lead to an increase in blood flow
to that muscle?
pg. 1
, lOMoAR cPSD| 22962964
Example of a physiology _________________.
Organization and tissues of the body
The body is organized in a hierarchical structure:
________________________________________________________
Cells: The simplest structural units into which a complex multicellular organism can be divided
and still retain the characteristics of life.
What are some of these functions that are characteristic of life and that are common to almost all
cells?
1. Cells exchange materials with their environment
2. They obtain energy from organic nutrients
4. They can duplicate themselves
3. They synthesize complex molecules
5. ______________________________________________________________
In development, cells specialize to perform certain functions. That is called: ________________.
There are four broad types of cells:
1. Muscle cells (also called myocytes) __________________________________. There are
skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle cells.
2. Nerve cells (also called neurons)_____________________________________. They
often control the activity of other cells.
3. Epithelial cells: located at the surface of the body or a hollow organ, are specialized for
___________________________________.
4. Connective tissue cells: ___________________________________________.
These include loose connective tissue, dense connective tissue, blood, cartilage, bone, and
adipose tissue.
Tissues: A tissue is an aggregate of differentiated cells with _______________.
Tissues are also categorized into 4 general types:
1. Muscle tissue
2. Nervous tissue
3. Epithelial tissue (Epithelial tissue is also referred to as ______________.)
pg. 2
, lOMoAR cPSD| 22962964
4. Connective tissue (Connective tissue cells produce an extracellular matrix for cell
attachment and signaling in all tissues.)
An organ: A collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function, e.g. the
heart.
An organ system: organs that are linked together to serve an overall function, e.g. the
cardiovascular system or the gastrointestinal system.
The organism coordinates the activities of these systems to maintain a stable internal
environment. This actually means managing the content and distribution of body fluids in
response to changes or external stimuli.
Body Fluid compartments (Textbook Figure 1-3)
The cells that make up complex organisms exist in an “internal sea” of extracellular fluid
enclosed within the integument of the body.
In animals with a closed vascular system, the extracellular fluids are compartmentalized to
enable exchange of nutrients and waste.
-considering some numbers
► Percentage of the body that is water:
► How much water is that for a 70 kg man?
► How much is that in liters?
► Calculate the Extracellular Fluid Volume or ECF.
► 20% of the extracellular fluid is inside the cardiovascular system and is constantly being
pumped around to transport materials. This is:____________________.
80% of ECF is located between the cells, it is called __________________________.
► In our example, calculate the plasma volume and the interstitial fluid volume.
Plasma volume =
Interstitial fluid volume =
► Does that mean that the blood volume is 2.8 L?
A: No, in addition to the plasma, there are blood cells, RBC and WBC.
► The following diagram shows the body fluid compartments (study and interpret)
pg. 3
