Life 46- Sensory Systems Flashcards
Compound
Made up of many units, as in the eyes of Arthropods
Mechanoreceptor
A cell that is sensitive to physical movement and generates action potentials in response
Oval window
The flexible membrane that, when moved by the bones of the middle ear, produces pressure waves in the inner ear.
Auditory system
A sensory system that uses mechanoreceptors to convert pressure waves into receptor potentials; includes structures that gather sound waves, direct them to a sensory organ, and amplify their effect on the mechanoreceptors.
Retina
The light-sensitive layer of cells in the vertebrate of cephalopod eye
Hair cell
A type of mechanoreceptor in animals. Detects sound waves and other forms of motion in air or water.
Pupil
The opening in the vertebrate eye through which light passes
Sensory transduction
The transformation of environmental stimuli or information into neural signals.
Opsin
The Protein portion of the visual pigment in rhodopsin.
Cone cells
1) In vertebrate retina, photoreceptor cells that are responsible for colour vision
2) In gymnosperms, reproductive structures consisting of spore-bearing scales inserted on a short axis; the scales are modified branches.
Olfactory
Pertaining to the sense of smell
Basilar membrane
A membrane in the human inner ear whose flex ion in response to sound waves activates hair cells; flexes at different locations in response to different pitches of sound
Receptor protein
A protein that can bind to a specific molecule, or detect a specific stimulus, within the cell or in the cell’s external environment
Vestibular system
Structures within the inner ear that sense changes in position or momentum of the head, affecting balance and motor skills
Lateral line
A sensory system in fishes consisting of a canal filled with water and hair cells running down each side under the surface of the skin, which senses disturbances in the surrounding water.
Fovea
In the vertebrate retina, the area of most distinct vision
Receptor potential
The change in the resting potential of a sensory cell when it is stimulated.
Odorant
A molecule that can bind to an olfactory receptor
Tympanic membrane
The eardrum
Taste bud
A structure in the epithelium of the tongue that includes a cluster of chemoreceptors innervated by sensory neurons.
Organ of Corti
Structure in the inner ear that transforms mechanical forces produced from pressure waves (sound waves) into action potentials that are sensed as sound
Rhodopsin
A photo pigment used in the visual process of transducing photons of light into changes in the membrane potential of photoreceptor cells.
Photoreceptor
1) In plants, a pigment that triggers a physiological response when it absorbs a photon.
2) in animals, a sensory receptor cell that senses and responds to light energy.
Lens
In the vertebrate eye, a crystalline protein structure that makes fine adjustments in the focus of images falling on the retina
Cochlea
A spiral tube in the inner ear or vertebrates; it contains the sensory cells involved in hearing
Iris
The round, pigmented membrane that surrounds the pupil of the eye and adjusts its aperture to regulate the amount of light entering the eye
Adaptation
1) In evolutionary biology, a particular structure, physiological process, or behaviour that makes an organism better able to survive and reproduce. Also the evolutionary process that leads to the development or persistence of such a trait.
2) In sensory neurophysiology, a sensory cell’s loss of sensitivity as a result of repeated stimulation
Ganglion cells
Cells at the front of the human retina that transmit information form the bipolar cells to the brain
Chemoreceptor
A sensory receptor cell that senses specific molecules (such as odorant molecules or pheromones) in the environment.
Gustation
The sense of taste
Ossicle
The three tiny bones (malleus, incus, and stapes) in the human ear that amplify sound vibrations received by the tympanic membrane.
Stretch receptor
A modified muscle cell embedded in the connective tissue of a muscle that acts as a mechanoreceptor in response to stretching of that muscle
Ommatidia
The units that make up the compound eye of some Arthropods.
Vomeronasal organ (VNO)
Chemosensory structure embedded in the nasal epithelium of amphibians, reptiles, and many mammals. Often specialised for detecting pheromones.
Pheromone
A chemical substance used in communication between organisms of the same species
Cornea
The clear, transparent tissue that converts the eye and allows light to pass through the retina.
