14: Response to stimuli Flashcards
Stimulus
a detectable change in the environment. these changes are detected by cells, which are called receptors
- organisms increase chance of survival by responding to stimuli via different response mechanisms
Tropisms
when plants respond, via growth, to stimuli
- tropisms can be positive or negative, growing towards or away from a stimulus. plant respond to light or gravity
one example of a specific growth factor tropisms are controlled by
- indoleacetic acid (IAA)
- a type of auxin which controls cell elongation in shoots and inhibit growth of cells in roots. its made in tip of roots or shoots but can diffuse to other cells
Phototropism in shoots
tropisms where plant is responding to light
- shoots; light in LDR so plants grow and bend towards light - positive phototropism
1. shoot tip cells produce IAA, cell elongation
2. IAA diffuses to other cells
3. if unilateral light, the IAA will diffuse towards the shaded side of the shoot resulting in a higher concentration of IAA there
4. so cells on shaded side elongate and plant bends towards light source
Phototropism in roots
- roots dont photosynthesis, so dont require light. anchor plant deep in soil
- in roots, high conc of IAA inhibits cell elongation. so root cells on light side elongate more and root bends away from light to anchor into ground and reach water sources
- negative phototropism
Gravitropism in shoots
- IAA will diffuse from the upper side to the lower side of a shoot
- if a plant is vertical, this causes plant cells to elongate and plant grows upwards
- if plant on its side it will cause the shoot to bend upwards. - negative gravitropism
Gravitropism in roots
- IAA moves to lower side of the roots so that the upper side elongates and the roots bends down towards gravity and anchors the plant
- positive gravitropis
Reflex
a rapid, automatic response to protect you from danger. a reflex arc is made up of three - neurones
- sensory, relay, motor
Simple responses
Taxis and Kinesis which keep organisms within the favourable conditions of their environment (light, moisture, chemicals)
Taxes
- organism will move its entire body towards a favourable stimulus or away from an unfavourable stimulus
- when organism moves a stimulus its positive taxis
Kinesis
- an organism changes the speed of movement and the rate it changes direction
- if in harmful stimuli, its kinesis response will be to increase the rate it changes direction to return to favourable conditions quickly
- if organism is surrounded by negative stimuli, the rate of turning decreases
Receptors
cells that detect stimuli
- each receptor responds to a specific stimuli which creates a generator potential which can cause a response
Three examples of receptors
- pacinian corpuscle
- rods
- cones
Pacinian corpuscle
- pressure receptors located deep in skin, mainly in fingers and feet
- the sensory neuron in the pacinian corpuscle has special channel proteins in its plasma membrane
- the membranes of pacinian corpuscle have STRETCHED MEDIATED SODIUM CHANNELS
- these open and allow Na to enter sensory neurone only when stretched and deformed
- when pressures applied it deforms the membrane, stretches and widens the Na channels so Na diffuses in which leads to the establishment of a generator potential
Rods
- type of photoreceptor
- images in black and white
- to create generator potential, pigment of rod cells (RHODOPSIN) must be broken down by light energy
- detects light at very low intensity as many rod cells connect to ONE sensory neurone (retinal convergence)
- so brain cant dinstinguish between separate sources of light that stimulated it - low visual acuity