6) Organisms respond to changes in their environment Flashcards
Stimulus definition
Any change in the internal or external environment
Receptor definition
Cells or proteins on the cell surface membrane that detect stimuli
Effectors definition
Cells that bring about a response to a stimulus, to produce an effect
Indoleacetic acid (IAA):
- Hormone which affects cell elongation to control tropisms
- Produced in tips of shoots (growing regions)
- IAA moved around plant by active transport + diffusion via phloem
Tropism definition
The response of a plant to a directional stimulus
Phototropism:
- Growth of a plant in response to light
- Shoots- positively phototrophic + grow towards light. IAA concentration increases on shaded side- cells elongate + the shoot bends towards light
- Roots- negatively phototrophic + grow away from light. IAA concentration increases on the shaded side- growth is inhibited so root bends away from the light
Gravitropism:
- Growth of a plant in response to gravity
- Shoots- negatively gravitrophic + grow upwards. IAA concentration increases on lower side- cells elongate so shoot grows upwards
- Roots- positively gravitrophic + grow downwards. IAA concentration increases on lower side- growth is inhibited so the root grows downwards
Taxes:
Organism move towards or away from a directional stimulus
eg movement towards light (positive phototaxis), movement towards a chemical (positive chemotaxis)
Kinesis:
Organism’s movement is affected by a non-directional stimulus (eg humidity)
Organism changes the speed at which it moves and the rate it changes direction. This increases its chance of a quick return to a favourable environment
If it moves a considerable distance into an unfavourable environment, its rate of turning may decrease so that it moves in straight lines before it turns
Brings organism into a new region with favourable conditions
Reflex arc definition
Pathway of neurones involved in a reflex
Response is rapid, short lived, localised, involuntary
Route of an impulse in a reflex arc:
1) Stimulus
2) Receptor- detect stimulus + generates nerve impulses to sensory neurone
3) Sensory neurone- passes nerve impulses to spinal cord
4) Intermediate neurone- links the sensory neurone to motor neurone
5) Motor neurone- carries nerve impulses from spinal cord to an effector
6) Effector- muscle or gland which brings about a response
7) Response
Importance of reflex arcs
- Involuntary- allow brain to carry out more complex responses + means response is rapid
- Fast- neurone pathway is short- few synapses
- Protects body from harm
What are pacinian corpuscles?
Type of receptor found in skin. Only respond to mechanical stimuli
Features of receptors:
- Respond only to a specific stimuli
- Stimulation leads to the establishment of a generator potential
How do pacinian corpuscles detect a stimulus?
1) Pacinian corpuscles contain end of neurone- neurone wrapped in layers of connective tissue (lamellae)
2) Pacinian corpuscle stimulated- lamellae deformed + press on sensory nerve ending
3) Causes sensory neurone’s cell membrane to stretch, deforming the stretch mediated sodium ion channels
4) Channels open + sodium ions diffuse into neurone, creating a generator potential
5) If the generator potential reaches the threshold, it triggers an action potential
Structure of pacinian corpuscle
- End of neurone
- Surounded by layers of connective tissue with viscous gel between
Receptors in the eye:
Found on the retina
- Rod cells and cone cells
- Both types act as transducers by conserving light energy into the electrical energy of a nerve impulse
Rod cells:
- Many rod cells connected to a single sensory neurone in the optic nerve
- Sensitive to light- used to detect light at low intensity
- To create generator potential- pigment in rod cells (rhodopsin) must be broken down. There is enough energy from low intensity light to cause this breakdown
- Many weak generator potentials in bipolar cells, to which rod cells are connected to, combine to reach the threshold and trigger an action potential
- Low visual acuity- as many rod cells join same neurone
- Black and white- cannot distinguish different wavelengths of light
- 1 type only
- More numerous than cone cells
Cone cells:
- Each cone cell connected to a single sensory neurone
- Less sensitive to light- takes more light to reach the threshold + trigger action potential
- Pigment (iodopsin)- requires higher light intensity for its breakdown
- Higher visual acuity
- Images in colour
- 3 types- each contains a different type of iodopsin
Visual acuity definition
The ability to distinguish between points that are close together
Autonomic nervous system definition
Controls the involuntary activities of internal muscles and glands
Divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
Myogenic muscle definition
Muscle that can contract or relax without receiving signals from nerves
This pattern of contraction controls the regular heartbeat
How does myogenic stimulation of the heart transmit a wave of electrical activity and cause the heart to contract?
1) Sinoatrial node (SAN) sends out regular waves of electrical activity to the atrial walls
2) This causes the atria to contract
3) A layer of non-conductive tissue (atrioventricular septum) prevents the wave crossing the ventricles
4) The waves of electrical activity are transferred from the SAN to the atrioventricular node (AVN)
5) After a short delay, to make sure the atria have emptied before the ventricles contract, the AVN passes the waves of electrical energy along a series of muscle fibres (Purkyne tissue) - collectively makes up bundle of His
6) Bundle of His splits into smaller fibres of Purkyne tissue- carries waves of electrical activity into muscular walls of the right and left ventricles- causing them to contract simultaneously from bottom up
Sinoatrial node (SAN):
Distinct group of cells found in the walls of the right atrium
Generates electrical impulses that cause cardiac muscle to contract
Controlled by part of brain- medulla oblongata
Atrioventricular node (AVN):
Distinct group of cells found in walls of right atrium
AVN passes waves of electrical energy, from the SAN, along a series of muscle fibres called Purkyne tissue, which collectively make up the Bundle of His
Purkyne tissue:
A series of muscle fibres in the muscular wall of the heart
Carry waves of electrical activity from the bundle of His, into the muscular walls of the right and left ventricles, causing them to contract simultaneously, from bottom up
Sympathetic nervous system definition
Makes up part of the autonomic nervous system
Stimulates effectors and so speeds up activity
Parasympathetic nervous system definition
Part of the autonomic nervous system
Inhibits effectors and so slows down activity
Medulla oblongata:
Controls changes to heart rate so varying demands of oxygen can be met
Has 2 centres
- A centre that increases heart rate- linked to SAN by sympathetic nervous system
- A centre that decreases heart rate- linked to SAN by parasympathetic nervous system
Chemoreceptors- where found? What sensitive to?
- Found: walls of carotid arteries, aorta, medulla
- SENSITIVE TO CHANGES IN pH of blood that result from changes in carbon dioxide concentration
The role of chemoreceptors in changing heart rate to alter carbon dioxide concentrations in the blood
- High carbon dioxide = pH blood low
- Chemoreceptors detect this + increase frequency of nervous impulses to centre of nervous oblongata
- Centre increases frequency of impulses via sympathetic nervous system to the SAN
- Increases rate of production of electrical waves by SAN- increases heart rate
- Increase blood flow- more carbon dioxide removed by lungs
- pH rise back to normal- receptors + aorta reduce frequency of nervous impulses to the medulla oblongata
- Medulla oblongata reduces frequency of impulses to SAN- reduction in heart rate
Pressure receptors: Where found? What sensitive to?
- Found: carotid arteries + aorta
- SENSITIVE TO CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE
Role of pressure receptors in changing heart rate to alter blood pressure
- Higher blood pressure- pressure receptors transmit more nervous impulses to the centre in the medulla oblongata that decreases heart rate
- Centre sends impulses via the parasympathetic nervous system to the SAN - decrease in heart rate
- Lower blood pressure- pressure receptors transmit more nervous impulses to the centre in the medulla oblongata that increases heart rate
- Centre sends impulses via the sympathetic nervous system to SAN- increases heart rate
Neurone definition
Specialised cells adapted to rapidly carry nerve impulses from one part of the body to another
Motor neurone definition
Transmit nerve impulses from an intermediate (relay) neurome to an effector,such as a gland or muscle
Have a long axon + many short dendrites
What is a myelinated motor neurone?
A motor neurone that has a myelin sheath
Structure of a myelinated motor neurone:
CELL BODY- contains all usual cell organelles + large amounts of RER- associated with protein + neurotransmitter production
DENDRONS- extensions of the cell body which subdivide into smaller branched fibres (dendrites) that carry nerve impulses towards the cell body
AXON- single long fibre that carries nerve impulses away from cell body
SCHWANN CELLS- surround axon- protect it + provide electrical insulation. Wrap themselves around axon many times, so layers of membrane build up around axon
MYELIN SHEATH- covers axon, made up of membranes of schwann cells. Rich is myelin (lipid)- acts as an electrical insulator
Nodes of Ranvier- tiny patches of bare membrane between schwann cells. Sodium ion channels are concentrated at the nodes- where depolarisation occurs
Establishment of a resting potential in a neurone:
- Resting state- outside of membrane is positively charged compared to inside- membrane=polarised, there is a potential difference across the membrane
- Resting potential created + maintained by sodium potassium pumps and potassium ion channels in neurone’s membrane
- Na-K pump moves sodium ions out of neurone- not permeable to Na ions so they can not diffuse back in- electrochemical gradient
- Na-K pump also move K ions into neurone- but membrane is permeable to K ions so can diffuse back out of K ion channels
Action potential definition
A sequence of events which causes a change in potential difference across part of the membrane of the axon
Energy of the stimulus causes a temporary reversal of the charges either side of the part of the axon membrane (inside of membrane now becomes positively charged)
Generation of an action potential in a neurone:
1) STIMULUS- energy causes Na ion channels to open in axon membrane- more permeable to Na ions- diffuse into neurone down sodium ion electrochemical gradient (inside membrane less negative)
2) DEPOLARISATION- if potential difference reaches threshold, more Na ion channels open
3) REPOLARISATION- at PD about +30mV, Na ion channels close + K channels open. Membrane more permeable to K- so K diffuse out neurone- (starts to get neurone back to its resting potential)
4) HYPERPOLARISATION- K ion channels slow to close- slight ‘overshoot’- too many K ions diffuse out neurone. PD become more negative than resting potential
5) RESTING POTENTIAL- ion channels reset
All or nothing principle (generation of action potential in nerves)
- Weak stimulus- PD threshold not exceeded- no depolarisation or action potential occurs
- Strong stimulus- more energy- threshold reached
- A stimulus providing energy above the threshold value will produce an action potential with the same change in voltage, no matter how big the stimulus is
- Bigger stimulus won’t create a bigger action potential- BUT will cause more frequent action potentials
Refractory period definition:
The period after an action potential has been created where an inwards movement of Na ions is prevented because sodium channels are closed
During period- impossible for a further action potential to be generated
Acts as a time delay between one action potential to the next
3 purposes of the refractory period when generating an action potential
- Ensures action potentials don’t overlap, but pass along as discrete impulses
- Ensures action potentials are unidirectional
- Limits the number of action potentials + frequency at which the nerve impulses can be transmitted
The passage of an action potential along a non-myelinated axon
non-myelinated = neurone does not have a myelin sheath
- When action potential occurs- Na ions enter neurone
- Causes wave of depolarisation to travel along neurone
- Wave moves away from parts of the membrane in the refractory period as these parts can’t fire an action potential
Passage of an action potential along a myelinated axon (+ name the process)
- Fatty sheath of myelin around axon acts as an electrical insulator- prevent action potentials forming
- Breaks in myelin = nodes of Ranvier- only place where action potentials can occur
- Action potentials move from node to node- SALTATORY CONDUCTION
- Pass along myelinated neurone faster than along axon of a non-myelinated neurone of the same diameter- as in non-myelinated, impulse travels as a wave along the whole length of the axon
Nerve impulse definition
The transmission of an action potential along the axon of a neurone