6A Response to Stimuli Flashcards
Define a stimulus
change in the internal/external environment
What detects a stimulus?
receptors
What do effectors do? Give examples of effectors
bring about a response to stimuli eg. muscle cells and cells in glands
What is the simple difference between the central nervous system and the whole nervous system?
CNS= brain and spinal cord, coordinates info
NS= made up of all the neurons in the body. 3 main types are sensory, relay and motor
Simply describe what happens during a reflex action
- receptors in a sense organ detect a stimulus
- electrical impulses are sent along sensory neurons to the CNS
- the CNS sends electrical impulses to an effector along a motor neuron
- the effector then responds accordingly
Describe simply what a synapse is
- the connection between 2 neurons
- nerve signal is transferred by chemicals called neurotransmitters which diffuse across the gap
- these chemicals set off a new electrical signal in the next neuron
What are auxins?
- plant growth hormones
- they control growth at the tips of shoots and roots
- they move around the plant in solution
- they stimulate growth in shoots and inhibit growth in roots
What is a taxis?
- a directional response to a stimulus
- eg. a woodlouse moving away from a light source which increases its chance of surviving predation
What is a kinesis?
- a non-directional response to a stimulus
- eg. woodlouse moving slowly in humid conditions which leaves them in humid conditions for longer so less water loss and increased survivability
What is a tropism?
- directional response to a stimulus by a PLANT
Describe phototropism
- directional response too light
- positively phototropic = grows towards light
- negatively phototropic = grows away from light
Describe gravitropism
- directional response to gravity
- positively gravitropic = grows towards gravity/downwards
- negatively gravitropic = grows away from gravity/upwards
Describe the tendancies of plant roots
- positively gravitropic
- negatively photoropic
Describe the tendancies of plant shoots
- negatively gravitropic
- positively phototropic
What is indoleacetic acid?
- IAA
- a type of auxin of flowering plants
- can diffuse into nearby cells or can be carried in the phloem
How is IAA responsible for phototropism?
- diffuses to shady side of plants and encourages cell elongation so plant bends towards light (SHOOTS)
- in ROOTS it inhibits cell elongation so the root grows away from the light
How is IAA responsible for gravitropism?
- diffuses to the underside of shoots and roots
- in the shoots this encourages upward growth because it elongates the cells on the underside
- in shoots it inhibits cell elongation in the underside cells so it encourages downward growth
Give an example of receptors
- rods and cones
- photoreceptors in the eyes
- allow for the detection of light
What does the CNS consist of?
brain and spinal cord
What does the PNS consist of?
- the autonomic section and the voluntary section
What does the autonomic section of the PNS consist of?
- sympathetic response (fight or flight)
- parasympathetic response (rest or digest)