BIOLOGY MODULE 5 (papers 1 & 3) incomplete - add plant hormone PAGs and kidney stuff after mocks Flashcards
communication and homeostasis, excretion, animal responses, photosynthesis, respiration, plant hormones and responses
how does responding to their environment help an organism survive?
- e.g. avoiding harmful environments
- respond to changes in their internal environment to make sure conditions are optimal for metabolism
- any change in internal or external environment is a stimulus
- important for plants and animals
how do receptors detect a stimuli to produce a response?
- receptors only detect one particular stimulus
- some receptor cells connect to the nervous system, some are proteins on cell surface membrane and some are found in cell membranes of some pancreatic cells
what are effectors?
cells that bring about a response to a stimulus to produce an effect (include muscle cells and glands)
how does communication occur between adjacent and distant cells?
- to produce a response receptors must communicate and this happens via cell signalling
- cell signalling can occur between adjacent or distant cells e.g. NS cells communicate via neurotransmitters being detected
- cell surface receptors allow cells to recognise chemicals involved in cell signalling
what is homeostasis?
- maintenance of a constant internal environment
- involves control systems that keep internal environment roughly constant
- vital for cells to function normally and stop them being damaged
- maintaining core temp stops enzymes being denatured
- maintaining right conc of glucose in blood means theres always enough for respiration
what is your internal environment?
blood and tissue fluid that surrounds your cells
how do homoestatic systems detect a change and respond by negative feedback?
- involve receptors, a communication system and effectors
- receptors detect when a level is too high/low and info is communicated to effectors
- effectors respond to counteract change - brings level back to normal
- negative feedback restores level to normal
- negative feedback keeps things around normal level
why does negative feedback only work within certain limits?
if the change is too big then effectors may not be able to counteract it
how do positive feedback mechanisms amplify a change from the normal level?
- effectors respond to further increase the level away from normal level
- positive feedback is useful to rapidly activate something
- not involved in homeostasis as it doesnt keep internal environment constant
what does the nervous system send information as?
nerve impulses
what is the nervous system and how does it send information as nerve impulses?
- complex network of neurones
- stimulus is detected by receptor cells and a nerve impulse is sent along a sensory neurone
-when nerve impulse reaches end of neurone, neurotransmitters take info to next neurone which send a nerve impulse - CNS processed information and sends it along neurones to an effector
what are sensory neurones?
transmit nerve impulses from receptors to CNS
what are motor neurones?
transmit nerve impulses from CNS to effectors
what are relay neurones?
transmit nerve impulses between sensory and motor neurones and transmit action potentials through the CNS
what is the process of a nerve impulse travelling?
stimulus - receptors - CNS - effectors - response
what do sensory receptors do?
- convert energy of a stimulus into electrical energy
- so sensory receptors act as transducers (something that converts one form of energy into another)
how do receptor cells communicate information via the nervous system?
- when NS receptor is in resting state, there’s a difference in charge between inside and outside the cell generated by ion pumps and channels
- this means there is a voltage (potential difference) across the membrane
- when a stimulus is detected the cell membrane becomes excited and more permeable, allowing more ions to move in and out the cell - altering potential difference
- bigger stimulus excites membrane more, causing larger movement of ions and bigger generator potential
what is resting potential?
voltage/potential difference across a membrane when a cell is when a cell is at rest
what is generator potential?
the change in potential difference due to a stimulus
how is an action potential triggered?
if a generator potential is big enough and reaches a threshold level
what is the structure of a sensory neurone?
- short dendrites
- one long dendron to carry nerve impulses from receptor cells to cell body
- one short axon that carried impulses from cell body to CNS
what is the structure of a motor neurone?
- many short dendrites that carry nerve impulses from CNS to cell body
- one long axon that carries nerve impulses from cell body to effector cells
what is the structure of a relay neurone?
- has many short dendrites that carry nerve impulses from sensory neurones to cell body
- one axon that carried nerve impulses from cell body to motor neurones
what is an example of a sensory receptor converting stimulus energy into nerve impulses?
- pascinian corpuscles contain the end of a sensory neurone (sensory nerve ending)
- sensory nerve ending is wrapped in lamellae
- when pascinian corpuscle is stimulated, lamellae are deformed and press on sensory nerve ending
- this causes deformation of stretch-mediated sodium channels in sensory neurones cell membrane
- sodium channels open and sodium ions diffuse into cell creating generator potential
explain how neurone cell membranes are polarised at rest
- in neurones resting state, outside of membrane is positively charged compared to inside - membrane is polarised
- resting potential = -70mV
- resting potential is created and maintained by sodium-potassium pumps and potassium ion channels in a membrane
- sodium-potassium pumps move sodium ions out the neurone and potassium ions in
- makes outside cell more positively charged than inside
what does a sodium-potassium pump do?
moves sodium ions out of the neurone by membrane isnt permeable to sodium ions so they cant diffuse back in - creates sodium electrochemical gradient (conc gradient of ions) because there’s more positive sodium ions outside
- what is the stimulus stage of an action potential?
- stimulus excites neurone cell membrane causing sodium ion channels to open
- membrane becomes more permeable to sodium so sodium ions diffuse into neurone down sodium electrochemical gradient
- make inside of neurone less negative
- what is the depolarisation stage of an action potential?
- if potential difference reaches threshold, voltage-gated sodium channels open
- more sodium ions diffuse into neurone
- this is positive feedback
- what is the repolarisation stage of an action potential?
- at potential difference of +30mV the sodium channels close and voltage-gated potassium ion channels open
- membrane is more permeable to potassium so potassium ions diffuse out the neurone down a conc gradient
- starst to get membrane back to resting potential
- this is negative feedback
- what is the hyperpolarisation stage of an action potential?
- potassium ion channels are slow to close so too many potassium ions may diffuse out the neurone
- potential difference becomes more negative than resitng potential (less than -70mV)
- what is the resting potential stage of an action potential?
- ion channels reset
- sodium-potassium pump returns membrane to resting potential and maintains until membrane’s excited by another stimulus
what is the refractory period?
after an action potential the cell membrane cant be excited again straight away because ions are recovering and cant be made to open
how does an action potential move alone the neurone?
- wave of depolarisation
- when action potentials happen, some sodium ions that enter diffuse sideways
- causes sodium ion channels in next region to open and sodium ions diffuse in
- causes a wave of depolarisation
- the wave moves away from parts of membrane in refractory period as they cant fire an action potential
what is the effect of a bigger stimulus on impulses?
- once threshold is reached, an action potential will always fire with the same change in voltage
- bigger stimulus wont cause bigger action potential but will cause more frequent action potentials
what is the all or nothing nature of action potentials?
action potentials will only fire is threshold is reached and will always fire with the same change in voltage
what is the myelin sheath?
- electrical insulator
- made of schwann cells
- between schwann cells there are patches of bare membrane called the nodes of ranvier (where sodium ions get through the membrane)
what happens in a myelinated neurone?
- depolarisation only happens at nodes of ranvier (sodium ion channels are concentrated at nodes)
- neurones cytoplasm conducts enough electrical charge to depolarise next node - impulse ‘jumps’ to next node (SALTATORY COONDUCTION)
what happens in a non myselinated neurone?
- impulse travels as a wave along the whole length of the axon membrane
- slower than saltatory conduction
what is the difference between depolarisation and repolarisation?
depolarisation - difference in charge across cell membrane becomes smaller
repolarisation - difference in charge across cell membrane becomes bigger
what? is a synapse
a junction between a neurone and the next cell (neuone/effector)
what is the synaptic cleft?
tiny gap between cells at a synapse
what is the presynaptic neurone and what happens to it?
- one before the synapse
- has a swelling called synaptic knob
- this contains synaptic vesicles filled with neurotransmitters
what happens when an action potential reaches the end of a neurone?
- causes neurotransmitters to be released into synaptic cleft
- they diffuse across postsynaptic membrane or cause a hormone to be secreted from a gland cell
what happens when a neurotransmitter binds to a receptor?
- might trigger an action potential in a neurone
- cause a muscle contraction in a muscle cell
- or cause a hormone to be released from a gland cell
neurotransmitters are removed from the cleft so the response doesn’t keep happening
what are the synapses called that use acetylcholine?
- cholinergic synapses
- bind to receptors called cholinergic receptors
- broken down by acetylcholinesterase (AChE))
how does a neurotransmitter transmit nerve impulses between neurones?
- action potential triggers calcium influx
- calcium influx causes neurotransmitter release
- neurotransmitter triggers action potential and postsynaptic neurone
what happens when 1. an action potential triggers calcium influx?
- action potential arrives at synaptic knob of presynaptic neurone
- action potential stimulates voltage-gated calcium ion channels in presynaptic neurone to open
- calcium ions diffuse into synaptic knob
what happens when 2. calcium influx causes neurotransmitter release?
- influx of calcium ions into synaptic knob causes synaptic vesicles to move to presynaptic membrane - they fuse with presynaptic membrane
- vesicles release the neurotransmitters into synaptic cleft by exocytosis
what happens when 3. the neurotransmitter triggers an action potential in the postsynaptic membrane?
- neurotransmitter diffuses across synaptic cleft and binds to specific receptors on postsynaptic membrane
- causes influx of sodium ion channels in postsynaptic neurone to open - causes depolarisation and action potential happens if threshold is reached
- neurotransmitter is removed from synaptic cleft so response doesn’t keep happening
what is an excitatory synapse?
at excitatory synapse, neurotransmitters depolarise in postsynaptic membrane - fires action potential if threshold is reached
what is an inhibitory synapse?
at inhibitory synapse, when neurotransmitters bind to receptors on postsynaptic membrane, they hyperpolarise the membrane and prevent an action potential being fired
what is synaptic divergence?
when one neurotransmitter is connected to many neurones, info can be dispersed to different parts of the body
what is synaptic convergence?
when many neurones connect t one neurone, info can be amplified (made stronger)
what is summation?
effects of neurotransmitters can be combined to cause an action potential
- 2 types: spatial and temporal
what is spatial summation?
- when neurones converge, the small amount of neurotransmitter released from each neurone can be enough to reach threshold for action potential
- if one neurones release inhibitory neurotransmitters then total effect of all neurotransmitters may be no action potential
- stimuli may arrive from different sources, spatial summation allows signals from multiple stimuli to be coordinated into a single response
what is temporal summation?
- when 2 or more nerve impulses arrive in a quick succession from the same presynaptic neurone
- makes action potential more likely as neurotransmitter is released into synaptic cleft
how do synapses make sure impulses are transmitter one way?
receptors for neurotransmitters are only on postsynaptic membranes so synapses make sure impulses only go one way
what is the hormonal system?
- made of endocrine glands and hormones
- endocrine glands are groups of cells specialised to secrete hormones
- hormones are chemical messengers - hormones diffuse directly into blood, then taken around the body by circulatory system
- they diffuse out of blood all over the body but each hormone only binds to a specific receptor (target cells)
- hormones trigger a response in the target cells (effectors)
how are hormones secreted? (hormonal system)
- secreted by endocrine glands
- glands can be stimulated by change in concentration of specific substance
- can also be stimulated by electrical impulses
what is the process of the hormonal system?
stimulus - receptors - hormone - effectors - response
- why is a hormone a first messenger? 2. why is a signalling molecule a second messenger?
- it carries the chemical message the first part of the way from the endocrine gland to the receptor on target cell
- it carried the chemical message the second part of the way from receptor to other parts of the cell
how do hormones bind to receptors and trigger second messengers?
- when a hormone binds to its receptor it activates an enzyme in cell membrane
- enzyme catalyses production of signalling molecule (second messenger)
- second messengers activate a cascade (chain of reactions) inside the cell
what is an example of a hormone binding to a receptor and triggering second messengers? (learn)
- adrenaline (first messenger) binds to specific receptors in cell membrane e.g. liver cell
- this activated adenylyl cyclase (enzyme) which catalyses production of cAMP (second messenger) from ATP
- cAMP activates cascade reactions to make more glucose available to the cell by catalysing breakdown of gycogen into glucose
what are adrenal glands?
- endocrine glands above the kidneys
- each gland has cortex (outer) and medulla (inner)
- cortex and medulla have different functions to produce different responses
how are the cortex and medulla involved in the response to stress?
- cortex secretes steroid hormones and these hormones both have a role in long and short term response to stress
- medulla secretes catechoamine hormones which act to make more energy available in the short term
what are the effects of the cortex in response to stress?
- stimulating breakdown of proteins and fats into glucose - increases amount of energy available so brain and muscles can respond to situation
- increasing blood volume and pressure by increasing uptake of sodium ions and water by kidneys
- suppressing immune system
what are the effects of the medulla in response to stress?
- increasing heart and breathing rate
- causes cells to breakdown glycogen into glucose
- constricting some blood vessels so blood is diverted to brain and muscles
what is the role of the pancreas in the endocrine system?
- areas of pancreas involved are the Islets of Langerhans
- found in blood capillaries
- they secrete hormones directly into blood
- made of alpha cells (secrete glucagon) and beta cells (insulin)
- glucagon and insulin help control blood glucose conc
how is temperature controlled in ectotherms?
- ectotherms cant control body temperature internally - control their temp by changing their behaviour
- internal temp depends on external temp (surroundings)
- activity level depends on external temp (higher temp = more active)
- have variable metabolic rate & generate little heat themselves
how is temperature controlled in endotherms?
- control body temp internally by homeostasis - can also control it through behaviour
- internal temp is less affected by external temp
- activity level doesnt depend on external temp - can be active anytime
-have constantly high metabolic rate and generate lots of heat from metabolic reactions