Topic 6: Stimuli & Response Flashcards
What is a stimulus?
A detectable change in the environment
What are the cells that detect stimulus called?
Receptors
What increases when organisms can respond to stimulus?
Chance of survival
What is a tropism?
Term given when plants respond via growth to a stimulus
What are the 3 types of tropism?
Positive and Negative
Can grow towards or away from stimulus (light or gravity)
What are tropisms controlled by? And give an example
Growth factors
IAA (indoleacetic acid)
What is IAA?
Type of auxin that can control cell elongation in shoots and inhibit growth of cells in the roots
Where is IAA made?
In the tip or the roots and shoots but can diffuse to other cells
What is the term given to the tropism when the plant responds to light?
Phototropism
In shoots why does a phototropism help growth?
Light is needed in the LDR in photosynthesis so plants grow and bend towards the light
This is a positive phototropism
What happens in the shoots phototropism?
1) Shoot tip cells produced IAA, causing cell elongation
2) The IAA diffuses to other cells
3) If there is unilateral light (one sided) IAA will diffuse towards the shaded side of the shoot resulting in a higher conc of IAA there
4) The cells on the shaded side to elongate more and results in the plant bending towards the light source
Do roots photosynthesise? Why?
No, as they don’t require light they must anchor the plant deep in the soil
What does IAA do in the roots?
High conc inhibits cell elongation, causing root cells to elongate more on the lighter side and so the roots bend away from the light
(Negative phototropism)
What name is given to the responses to gravity in plants?
Gravitropism
What happen due to gravitropism’s in shoots?
IAA will diffuse to the lower side from the upper side
If the plant is vertical this causes the plant cells to elongate and plant grows upwards
If the plant is on it’s side, it will cause the shoot to bend upwards
(Negative gravitropism)
What happen due to gravitropism’s in roots?
IAA moves to the lower side of the roots so that the upper side elongates and the root bends down towards gravity and anchors the plant in
(Positive gravitropism)
What is a reflex?
Rapid, automatic response to protect you from danger
What is a reflex arc made from?
Motor, sensory and relay neuron
What is one reason why reflexes are so fast?
As there’s only 3 neurons that means that there’s only 2 synapses
Give 2 examples of a simple response?
Taxes and kinesis
What is meant by a taxes?
An organism will move its entire body towards (positive) a favourable stimulus or away (negative) from an unfavourable stimulus
What is meant by a kinesis?
An organism changes the speed of movement and the rate it changes direction
Non-directional (random) movement
Why are taxes and kinesis important?
They keep organisms within the favourable conditions of their environment (light, moisture and chemicals)
With kinesis what happens when an organism moves from with beneficial stimuli to harmful stimuli?
It’s kinesis response will be to increase the rate it changes direction to return to the favourable conditions quickly
(vise versa)
What does the stimulation of a receptor cause?
Leads to the establishment of generator potential which can cause a response e.g action potential
Name the 3 receptors we must know about
Pacinian corpuscle
Rods
Cones
What is the Pacinian corpuscle’s job?
Pressure receptor: detect changes in pressure located deep in skin, mainly in hands and feet
What does the sensory neuron in the Pacinian corpuscle have?
Special channel proteins in it’s plasma membrane
What type of neuron is the Pacinian corpuscle?
Sensory?
What are the special channel proteins in it’s plasma membrane called?
Stretch-mediated sodium channels