Life 46- Sensory Systems

Question 1

Compound

Answer 1

Made up of many units, as in the eyes of Arthropods

Question 2

Mechanoreceptor

Answer 2

A cell that is sensitive to physical movement and generates action potentials in response

Question 3

Oval window

Answer 3

The flexible membrane that, when moved by the bones of the middle ear, produces pressure waves in the inner ear.

Question 4

Auditory system

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Retina

Answer 5

The light-sensitive layer of cells in the vertebrate of cephalopod eye

Question 6

Hair cell

Answer 6

A type of mechanoreceptor in animals. Detects sound waves and other forms of motion in air or water.

Question 7

Pupil

Answer 7

The opening in the vertebrate eye through which light passes

Question 8

Sensory transduction

Answer 8

The transformation of environmental stimuli or information into neural signals.

Question 9

Opsin

Answer 9

The Protein portion of the visual pigment in rhodopsin.

Question 10

Cone cells

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Olfactory

Answer 11

Pertaining to the sense of smell

Question 12

Basilar membrane

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Receptor protein

Answer 13

A protein that can bind to a specific molecule, or detect a specific stimulus, within the cell or in the cell’s external environment

Question 14

Vestibular system

Answer 14

Structures within the inner ear that sense changes in position or momentum of the head, affecting balance and motor skills

Question 15

Lateral line

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Fovea

Answer 16

In the vertebrate retina, the area of most distinct vision

Question 17

Receptor potential

Answer 17

The change in the resting potential of a sensory cell when it is stimulated.

Question 18

Odorant

Answer 18

A molecule that can bind to an olfactory receptor

Question 19

Tympanic membrane

Answer 19

The eardrum

Question 20

Taste bud

Answer 20

A structure in the epithelium of the tongue that includes a cluster of chemoreceptors innervated by sensory neurons.

Question 21

Organ of Corti

Answer 21

Structure in the inner ear that transforms mechanical forces produced from pressure waves (sound waves) into action potentials that are sensed as sound

Question 22

Rhodopsin

Answer 22

A photo pigment used in the visual process of transducing photons of light into changes in the membrane potential of photoreceptor cells.

Question 23

Photoreceptor

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

Lens

Answer 24

In the vertebrate eye, a crystalline protein structure that makes fine adjustments in the focus of images falling on the retina

Question 25

Cochlea

Answer 25

A spiral tube in the inner ear or vertebrates; it contains the sensory cells involved in hearing

Question 26

Iris

Answer 26

The round, pigmented membrane that surrounds the pupil of the eye and adjusts its aperture to regulate the amount of light entering the eye

Question 27

Adaptation

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Ganglion cells

Answer 28

Cells at the front of the human retina that transmit information form the bipolar cells to the brain

Question 29

Chemoreceptor

Answer 29

A sensory receptor cell that senses specific molecules (such as odorant molecules or pheromones) in the environment.

Question 30

Gustation

Answer 30

The sense of taste

Question 31

Ossicle

Answer 31

The three tiny bones (malleus, incus, and stapes) in the human ear that amplify sound vibrations received by the tympanic membrane.

Question 32

Stretch receptor

Answer 32

A modified muscle cell embedded in the connective tissue of a muscle that acts as a mechanoreceptor in response to stretching of that muscle

Question 33

Ommatidia

Answer 33

The units that make up the compound eye of some Arthropods.

Question 34

Vomeronasal organ (VNO)

Answer 34

Chemosensory structure embedded in the nasal epithelium of amphibians, reptiles, and many mammals. Often specialised for detecting pheromones.

Question 35

Pheromone

Answer 35

A chemical substance used in communication between organisms of the same species

Question 36

Cornea

Answer 36

The clear, transparent tissue that converts the eye and allows light to pass through the retina.