You are dissecting a fish in your biology laboratory section. Your teaching assistant points out a long oval structure and tells you it is an endocrine gland. Which of the following would you then know is a true statement about this structure?
A) It secretes a product that is released through a series of ducts.
B) The gland's product will only interact with receptors on the cell membrane.
C) The gland's product is lipid soluble.
D) The gland produces and secretes its product into the blood.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Endocrine glands are ductless glands that produce and secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream to act on target tissues or organs. Therefore, option D is the correct choice. Option A is incorrect because endocrine glands don't have ducts to release their products. Option B is incorrect because it refers to a product that interacts with receptors on the cell membrane, which is characteristic of some hormones, but not all. Option C is incorrect because the lipid solubility of the gland's product doesn't provide any information about its endocrine function or the secretion mechanism.

You Are Dissecting a Fish in Your Biology Laboratory Section