7.1 Communication, coordination, and control Flashcards
What is one of the main characteristics of living organisms?
It’s the ability to respond to stimuli (stimulus).
What’s a stimulus?
It’s any change in an organism’s environment that can cause a response in the organism.
List some examples of stimuli.
Some examples include: changes in environmental temperature, changes in light intensity, and the presence of molecules of an odorant in the atmosphere.
What is a receptor?
It is a specialized cell (or a group of cells) that detects a stimulus.
What is an effector?
It’s the body part that responds to a stimulus.
What are examples of effectors?
Examples of effectors include: muscles and glands.
What happens when odorant molecules of delicious food is bombarded at you?
It’s a stimulus that is detected by specific receptors. These receptors communicate with the salivary glands, causing them to produce more saliva.
Why is communication between a receptor and an effector required?
To ensure that an appropriate response is made at the right time.
What is responsible for coordination within an animal?
It’s the ability of a receptor to receive information from a stimulus and to communication with an effector to produce a response.
What are the two main organ systems?
The nervous system and the endocrine system that specialize in the coordination and the control of activities in the human body.
Where is the response faster?
the responses of the nervous system are significantly faster than most of those of the endocrine system.
What activities are controlled and coordinated by the nervous system?
Breathing and moving.
What happens upon stimulation by specific stimuli?
Sensory receptors send electrical signals, or nerve impulses, to a part of the nervous system called the central nervous system.
What does the central nervous system (CNS) consist of?
it consists of the brain and the spinal cord.
What’s the main function of CNS?
The main function is to integrate signals received from sensory receptors and generate an output, in the form a nerve impulse to produce a meaningful response through a specific effector.
