organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments Flashcards
what is a stimulus?
detectable change in the environment
what is a stimulus detected by?
receptor
what is a tropism?
when plants respond via growth to stimuli, they can be positive or negative
what are tropisms controlled by?
indoleacetic acid (IAA), a type of auxin that controls cell elongation
IAA causes cell elongation in…
shoots
IAA inhibits cell elongation in…
roots
positive phototropism in shoots
- shoot tip cells produce IAA
- this causes cell elongation
- IAA diffuses to cells on shaded sides
- resulting in a high conc. in shaded side
- causing shaded to elongate and bend towards light
negative phototropism in roots
- high conc. of IAA inhibits cell elongation
- causes root cells to elongate more on lighter side
- root bends away from the light
negative gravitropism in shoots
- IAA will diffuse from upper side to lower side of shoot
- causes cell elongate and plant grows upwards
positive gravitropism in roots
- IAA moves to lower side of roots
- upper side elongates
- root bends down so anchor plant in
taxis
movement of an organisms body towards favourable stimuli or away from unfavourable stimuli (directional response to external stimuli)
kinesis
organism changes the speed of movement and the rate it changes the direction (non-directional response)
why do many organisms respond to temperature and humidity via kinesis rather than taxis?
often no clear gradient from one extreme to another
simple reflex arc
- receptor detects stimulus
- sensory neuron
- relay neuron in CNS
- motor neuron
- response by effect
advantages of simple reflex arc
- rapid response to potentially dangerous stimuli
- instinctive
what are pacinian corpuscles?
pressure receptors located deep in skin, mainly in fingers and feet
structure of pacinian corpuscle
- single nerve fibre surrounded by layers of connective tissue which are separated by a viscous gel contained by a capsule
- stretch-mediated Na+ channels on plasma membrane
- capillary runs along base layer of tissue
what stimulus does a pacinian corpuscle respond to and how?
- pressure deforms membrane, causing stretch-mediated Na+ ion channels to open due to widening of sodium channels
- if influx of Na+ ions raises membrane to threshold potential, a generator potential is produced
- action potential moves along sensory neuron
two types of photoreceptor in retina
rods and cones
where are rods located?
evenly distrubted around periphery of retina and not in the fovea
where are cones located?
central fovea
rod cells
- cannot distinguish different wavelengths of light so process images in black and white
- can detect light of very low intensities
- linked by spatial summation
- low visual acuity
- conatin only one pigment, rhodopsin
how is a generator potential created in a rod cell?
- rhodopsin is broken down by light energy
- there is enough low-intensity light to cause this
- enough pigment has to be broken down for the threshold to be met in the bipolar cell
- this threshold can be reached because so many rod cells are connected to a single bipolar cell
how does retinal convergence impact rod cells?
retinal convergence means that the brain cannot distinguish between separate sources of light (low visual acuity)
cone cells
- three types of cone cell that contain different iodopsin pigment which all absorb different wavelengths of light
- can only detect high intensity light
- no spatial summation
- high visual acuity
why can we not see colour in the dark?
only one cone cells connects to a bipolar cell so cones so there is no spatial summation and cones can only respond to high light intensity
why are cones located in the fovea?
the fovea receives the highest intensity of light
myogenic definition
cardiac muscle is myogenic beacause it contracts within the muscle itself rather than by nervous stimulation
what are the two nodes involved in heart contraction?
SAN (sinoatrial node) and AVN (atrioventricular node)
where is the SAN located?
wall of the right atrium (also known as the pacemaker)
where is the AVN located?
between the border of the right and left ventricle within the two atria
where is the bundle of His located?
the septum
where are the Purkyne fibres loacted?
walls of the ventricles
how are heartbeats coordinated and initiated?
- SAN releases a wave of depolarisation across the atria, causing it to contract
- AVN releases wave of depolarisation
- non-conductive layer between the atria and ventricle prevent the wave travellings to ventricles
- the budle of His conduct and pass the wave of depolarisation down the septum and the Purkyne fibres in the walls of the ventricles
- apex and then walls of ventricles contract
- delay of AVN WOD means atria can pump all blood into ventricles
- cells repolarise and the cardiac muscles relax
what area of the brain controls heart rate?
medulla oblongata, via the ANS
what does the heart rate change in response to?
blood pressure and pH
what receptors decect pH change?
chemoreceptors
where are the chemoreceptors located?
carotid artery and aorta
what receptors detect blood pressure change?
baroreceptors
where are the baroreceptors located?
carotid artery
how does the body produce an increase in HR?
stimulus: low pH/low pressure
receptor: chemo/baroreceptor
coordinator: more action potentials to medulla oblongata
effector: SAN via sympathetic nervous system increases frequency of AP
how does the body produce a decrease in HR?
stimulus: high pH/high pressure
receptor: chemo/baroreceptor
coordinator: more action potentials to medulla oblongata
effector: SAN via parasympathetic nervous system increases frequency of AP
describe the general structure of a motor neuron
- cell body that contains organelles and RER
- dendrons that branch into dendrites which carry AP to cell body
- axon that is a long unbranched fibre that carries AP down neuron
- nodes of ranvier that are gaps in myelin which allow for saltatory conduction
- myelin sheath is a lipid which does not allow charged ions to pass through
what is resting potential?
the difference between electrical charge inside and outside of the neuron when there is no AP
what is the value for resting potential?
-70mV
how is resting potential established?
- higher concentration of potassium ions inside
and higher concentration of sodium ions outside - membrane contains many Na-K pumps
- actively transports 3Na+ out and 2K+ in
- membrane is more permeable to K+
- creates electrochemical gradient
what is an action potential?
when the neurone’s voltage increases beyond a set point beyond the resting potential, creating an electrical impulse
what is the value for an action potential?
+40mV
what is the threshold value?
-55mV
how is an action potential generated?
- stimulus provides energy to cause voltage-gated sodium channels to open
- causes Na+ to diffuse into axon whilst K+ diffuses out
- this increases voltage
- voltage above -55mV exceeds threshold, providing more energy, so more channels open
- this is depolarisation
- peaks at 40mV
- sodium channels close and voltage-gated potassium channels open
- decreases voltage as K+ diffuses out (repolarisation)
- hyperpolarisation occurs when voltage is less than resting
all or nothing principle
if depolarisation does not exceed threshold, then an action potential is not produced (nothing). all stimuli that does trigger depolarisation will peak at 40mV (all).
why is the all or nothing principle important?
makes sure than animals only respond to large enough stimuli to prevent sensory overload
refractory period
no action potential can be generated because sodium channels are recovering and cannot be opened (hyperpolarisation)
why is the refractory period important?
- ensures discrete impulses are produced
- ensures action potentials travel in one direction
- limits frequency of action potentials
what factors affect the speed of an action potential?
- myelination and saltatory conduction
- axon diameter
- temperature
why does myelination and saltatory conduction affect the speed of an action potential?
- gaps between myelin called NOR
- action potential jumps from node to node (saltatory conduction)
- myelin provides electrical insulation
- in non-myelinated axons, AP occurs along whole length
why does axon diameter affect the speed of an action potential?
the wider the diameter, the faster the speed of conduction because there is less leakage of ions and less resistance to the flow of ions