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Bonine and Potter, Vertebrate Physiology, ECOL 437, Fall 2005
File created 10 November 2005.
EXAM FORMAT AND SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW (EXAM THREE: 17 November 2005)
* This list of questions is not exhaustive, but should give you an idea as to the range of material and types
of questions we are likely to present on the exam. Please refer to your syllabus, text, readings, and lecture
and discussion notes for information relevant to the second exam. The exam will cover reading, lecture, and
lab material not covered on the first two exams.
Likely Exam Format:
True or false and matching (~10 points)
Really Short Answer (one word or sentence) (~30 pts)
Short Answer (a couple of sentences) (~45 pts)
Longer Answer (a paragraph or more) (~15 pts)
Questions/topics from each lecture/lab:
18 October 2005, Circulation/Cardiac Function
1. How are cardiac muscle cells different than skeletal muscle? Why are they both striated muscle?
2. How do contractile and conducting muscle fibers differ in functional properties?
3. Why do heart muscle cells have a long refractory period? What is the mechanism that creates the
long refractory period?
4. Define the term ‘myogenic.’
5. Describe three physiological differences between the arterial system and the venous system.
6. Explain what is meant by ‘mm of Hg.’ How is this related to pressure measured in ‘atmospheres’?
7. Does the pulmonary or systemic circuit in mammals have higher pressure? Why does this make
sense?
8. Describe three ways that blood moves through the circulatory system other than following
pressurized ejection from the heart.
9. Are tissues in the body arranged in series or in parallel? Why does this matter?
10. Trace the flow of blood from the vena cava, through the heart chambers and valves, the lungs, and
back to the vena cava. How do pressures differ in these different areas of the circulatory system?
11. True or false, amphibians are unique in that oxygen-poor blood is distributed to the skin?
12. Why is the reptilian heart morphologically 3-chambered, but functionally 5-chambered?
13. Under what conditions might you expect a L  R shift or a R  L shift in blood flow in a reptile?
14. What two morphological features in the mammalian circulatory system change after birth?
15. What are the functional roles of the SA node and the AV node?
16. Name 3 types of cardiac conducting cells.
17. How does the inherent pacemaker activity differ for the three cell types you identified above?
18. How do you manipulate cell membranes or their proteins to alter heart rate?
25 October 2005, Circulatory System
19. What are chordae tendinae? What is their functional role?
20. What do the different components of the ECG trace correspond to in the heart?
21. Explain the components of the complicated Wigger’s Diagram.
22. What is the atrial kick? The Frank-Starling curve?
23. How do you calculate cardiac output?
24. How much can CO change? How much can oxygen consumption change?
25. How do sympathetic and parasympathetic activity alter HR and CO?
26. How is contractility in the heart changed? (Motor unit recruitment is not the answer)
27. Distinguish between compliance and elasticity.
28. What is a pressure reservoir? A volume reservoir? Where are these in the circulatory system?
29. What is bulk flow? How do hydrostatic (or fluid) pressure and osmotic pressure play a role?
30. What is the role of the lymph system in the overall circulatory system?
31. How do baroreceptors, chemoreceptors, mechanoreceptors, and thermoreceptors influence the
circulatory system? Can you provide an example of each and how the circulatory system responds?
Bonine and Potter, Vertebrate Physiology, ECOL 437, Fall 2005
32. Explain four factors that influence local (at the level of, say, an individual muscle) control of the
circulatory system.
33. What are 4 factors that influence flow rate (Q)?
27 October 2005, Circulation and Ventilation
34. We spent more than 30 minutes on the Wigger’s Diagram in lecture.
35. What is meant by nonrespiratory vs. respiratory lung components?
36. What are some of the barriers to gas exchange between the capillaries and lumen of the alveoli?
37. What is dead space?
38. How can mammals increase tidal volume? What is meant by residual volume?
39. What happens in a pneumothorax? Why does it compromise respiration?
40. Explain how bird lung ventilation is unidirectional.
41. Explain the steps of positive pressure ventilation in a frog.
42. What is the role of pulmonary surfactant?
43. With respect to respiration, what increases dramatically as panting increases in a dog?
44. What is it about water and oxygen that makes unidirectional flow through fish gills more efficient
than bidirectional flow?
45. How are relative gill surface area and activity level correlated in fishes?
46. Where are the buccal and opercular cavities?
01 November 2005, Respiration, Oxygen transport
47. What point was Dr. Bonine making with the Lake Titicaca Frog? (not about the Bolivian Army)
48. Which major group of vertebrates seems to do a lot of gas exchange across the skin?
49. Which group has the thinnest gas-exchange membrane?
50. What gas is most responsible for triggering the respiratory urge in mammals? How is this different
in fish? Why?
51. What muscle does the phrenic nerve innervate?
52. What is the Hering-Breuer reflex? What injury does it prevent?
53. What is the partial pressure of oxygen in air at sea level?
54. How does oxygen content of water change with temperature and salinity (osmolality)?
55. Draw the differences between concurrent and countercurrent gas exchange.
56. Respiratory pigments are responsible for what?
57. How many subunits comprise the hemoglobin molecule?
58. Why is carbon monoxide dangerous to air-breathing vertebrates?
59. Draw and explain the myoglobin and hemoglobin oxygen dissociation curves.
60. What is the P50?
61. How does the difference in partial pressure of oxygen in tissues at rest vs. tissues at exercise relate
to the hemoglobin oxygen dissociation curve?
62. What 4 factors reduce the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen?
63. Define and explain the Bohr Effect.
64. How and why does the Bohr Effect change with body size?
03 November 2005, Carbon Dioxide transport, Osmoregulation, Intro to Kidney Function
65. Why is bicarbonate ion important in vertebrate gas transfer?
66. What is the Haldane Effect? Can you draw a graph to explain it?
67. How is carbon dioxide actually transported in the blood? What is the choride shift, what role does
carbonic anhydrase play?
68. What is the functional unit of the kidney?
69. List 5 obligatory osmotic exchanges.
70. What are approximate values for vertebrate blood, freshwater, and sea water osmolality. Which of
these is hypoosmotic to the other two?
71. What are the three most common ways that nitrogenous wastes are dealt with by vertebrates? How
are each of these correlated with where an animal lives? Why?
72. Why is ammonia toxic?
Bonine and Potter, Vertebrate Physiology, ECOL 437, Fall 2005
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What role do chloride cells play in osmoregulation?
List 4 of the important morphological components of the kidney.
What are the different parts of a nephron?
What three processes contribute to the final urine composition?
What is the vasa recta and why is it important?
Explain the utility of measuring the U/P ratio?
How many liters of human plasma are filtered each day?
What are the glomerulus and bowman’s capsule?
Explain the pressures that end up contributing to filtration rate.
08 November 2005, Eldon Braun
82. Describe the three fluid compartments in the vertebrate body.
83. Why does Braun argue that birds are better osmoregulators than small mammals?
84. Braun listed 5 major groups of vertebrates and the osmoregulatory organs in each. Can you explain
any patterns in the table he presented?
85. How is ureteral urine different than the urine voided from the cloaca? How is retrograde peristalsis
involved?
86. What role do cecae play in the final production of urine in the bird gastrointestinal tract?
87. Explain what Braun meant by ‘organ of social convenience.’
88. Define GFR.
89. What are colligative properties? Can you give examples?
90. What is the mean bird U/P ratio of ureteral urine?
91. What would be the problem if birds produced very concentrated ureteral urine?
92. How is most nitrogen excreted by birds?
93. How soluble is urea compared to uric acid?
94. Why is uric acid complexed to protein in the bird ureteral urine? What happens to that protein?
95. How big is a micrometer? Is that the same as a micron?
96. How big is serum albumin? What is it important for in many vertebrates?
97. Why is there a lot of bacteria in the lower GI tract of birds?
98. Why did Braun argue that bird studies may provide useful information that can be applied to
human Type2 diabetes?
10 November 2005, Osmoregulation and Kidney Function
99. How are birds, reptiles, and mammals related?
100.
Define allometry, explain one example of an interesting allometric relationship.
101.
Water are the three ways vertebrates get water?
102.
How are the kangaroo rat and laboratory rat different in their water balance physiology?
103.
How else can animals regulate water balance other than via physiology?
104.
How do large mammals deal with the conflicts of thermo- and osmo-regulation?
105.
Why does the waxy covering of Phyllomedusa frogs melt at a certain temperature?
106.
What is the mechanism that makes lizard skin typically more resistant to water loss than
amphibian skin?
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How is filtrate in the Bowman’s capsule different in composition than the plasma?
108.
How is filtration regulated at the level of the Bowman’s capsule and the afferent arterioles?
15 November 2005, Osmoregulation and Kidney Function
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What do the macula densa cells and the granular (or juxtaglomerular) cells do in the
kidney?
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What is the juxtaglomerular apparatus?
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What is renin and what does it do?
112.
How does renal clearance differ from the glomerular filtration rate?
113.
Why does glucose have a reabsorption limit?
114.
Explain what is reabsorbed, and how, in the proximal tubule.
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How do the descending and ascending limbs of the loop of Henle differ functionally?
Bonine and Potter, Vertebrate Physiology, ECOL 437, Fall 2005
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How does this comprise a countercurrent multiplier?
What is reabsorbed in the distal tubule?
What is controlled in the collecting duct? What hormone is involved?
How is the heart directly involved in kidney function?
What can be secreted from the blood into the forming urine? How?
What is functionally important about the length of loops of henle and medullary thickness?
What role does urea play in the kidney’s ability to concentrate urine?
How are nephrons different in fish and birds as compared to mammals?
Where are salt glands found in different groups?
What role do the gills play in osmoregulation in freshwater vs. marine teleost fish?
LAB/DISCUSSION:
Refer to your readings, the questions sent to you by Kristen, your lab handouts and worksheets, and notes
you took in class.
Suerte!