Sensory Biology + Animal behaviour Flashcards
photoreception detects?
detects light for vision and responsible for sending it to the brain
chemoreception detects?
detects chemicals for smell, taste and pheromones
mechanoreception detects?
detects physical touch or movement including auditory sense
what do eyespots detect?
they detect light and dark e.g. planaria have them
what do compound eyes detect?
they detect motion e.g. insects
what do single lens eyes do?
they focus on an image e.g. vertebrates and some invertebrates
what are some different visual organs?
eyespots
compound eyes
single lens eyes
how many types of cones do most mammals have?
2
how many types of cones do primates have?
3 types
how many types of cones do birds have?
birds have three or more cones
what do more rods allow for in cats?
they allow for better night vision
evolutionary need is to sense movement
colour and sharper vision is less needed compared to primates
how many types of cone cells do cats have?
2
what do lateral positioned eyes allow for?
they allow for wide monocular field of vision and narrow binocular field of vision
what do frontal position eyes allow for?
a wider central binocular field of vision, more restricted monocular field of vision
what does binocular vision allow for?
it is the basis for depth perception at a short range
if you have lateral positioned eyes - what do you need to do?
need to turn head to see the sides
if you have frontal position eyes - what are you able to see?
able to see almost to the point of the eyes
why do some animals tilt their heads?
to avoid blind spot
why do some animals nod - how does it help their vision?
nodding to increase depth perception in monocular vision field
good husbandry practices will take what into consideration - concerning vision?
the practices will consider the animals perspective
ageing animals or conditions within the eye will affect this even further
what should husbandry of captive animals reflect - regarding vision?
it should reflect how they perceive the world
this will influence the animals welfare
preventing ability to lower head can be stressful for lateral sided eyes
what are most chemoreceptors classified into?
into odorant receptors and pheromone receptors
what is olfaction?
sense of smell involved detection of airborne chemicals called odorants
what is gustation?
sense of taste, involves detection of dissolved chemicals called tastants
highly reliant on olfaction
animals with fewer taste buds might depend on what?
on other mechanisms - think about how you use this to e.g. encourage feeding
what do chemoreceptors physically do?
they bind chemicals responsible for sense of taste and smell
give an example for chemical sensing in cats:
Nepetalactone found to attract cats + cause rubbing, is associated with protection against mosquitos
It increased endorphin levels
No naso-oral route needed - it was via chemical sensing that caused the expression of rubbing behaviour
what is Nepetalactone?
a compound found in catnip and silver vine
Behaviour description for Flehmen’s response?
curling back of the lips or lifting of the lips with mouth held open, head held for a short while in that position
purpose for the Flehmen’s response?
taking in pheromones through vomeronasal organ/JO (VNO/JO)
during the Flehmen’s response - where does the scent go through?
goes through different path from olfactory sense
sends separate neural tracts to the
VN bulb or Accessory Olf bulb –> goes to amygdala –> hypothalamus > FSH/LH
when is the Flehmen’s response performed?
performed when they get scent of mate nearby for sexual readiness, prey hunting and bonding of mother to offspring
when do animals get frustrated - to do with smell?
when prevented access from something they can detect through scent e.g. consider intact animals
why do cats rub on objects?
to leave a cheek pheromone as a means of communication and affiliation
rods for?
night vision
cones for?
colour
scent is used as a means of…
communication through urine, anal gland secretion, faeces, rubbing on objects. this is taken in through sniffing or licking
what do mechanoreceptors respond to?
respond to mechanical stimulations such as pressure, electrical stimuli or sound
what senses are mechanoreceptors responsible for?
responsible for sense of touch, temperature and hearing
purple spray - on chickens?
the birds get picked on more
the purple spray is an alarm to other birds
purple spray on chickens with wounds actually attracts other chickens to the site
what do animals rely on their senses for?
for communication, travel and prey capture
what can some mammals use instead of sight?
they use a sensory system (e.g. vibrissae) predominantly instead of sight
how do fishes detect vibrations in the water?
they use a lateral line organ
what does the lateral line organ of fish allow them to do?
allows them to see in the dark and maintaining swimming in a group and catching prey
(now think about the impact of movement/mechanical disturbance in aquatic animals)
what do elephant-nose fish use to detect predators and its environment?
they live in muddy waters - they use electrical pulses as they have poor eyesight
what is the use of pit organs in some snakes (boas, pythons, vipers)?
they detect heat radiance from prey
(so think about poorly thawed prey)
what do the pit organs allow snakes to do?
allows them to detect prey in close distance in the absence of light
how many Hz can dogs hear up to - what does this mean the dog may do?
they can hear up to 65,000 Hz
sudden barking or pacing at the window may be due to sounds also they may hear things in the ground so will consistently dig
how are dogs sleep schedules messed up by sound?
sounds that humans make or any constant noise around pet can cause emotional arousal to be increased on a daily basis - most dogs are not sleeping enough
pheromone therapy is a common way of?
increasing confidence and reducing anxiety
Nutraceuticals?
these can target neurotransmitters e.g. serotonin or dopamine can be helpful
prevention and management of ‘noise’?
reduce music in car
use headphones/cotton to reduce sound of fireworks
avoid keeping animals in areas where there are lots of stimuli for extended periods
disinfectants used should be washed away or enough time for it to disperse before animal put in
ageing animals - prevention and management for sound?
use visual cues to prevent injury e.g. with glass windows/doors
why do dogs kick up their faeces?
in order to spread their scent and chemicals
cheek pheromone?
it creates a space that is a sign of safety
it uses heat to lift the pheromone and spread around
creates a sense of familiarity in that space
rostral injuries in reptiles?
running into glass - trying to get away from fight etc.
can put like fuzzy stickers on glass to prevent them from running into it
