Sensory Systems Overview
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Questions and Answers

What type of receptors are responsible for both hearing and equilibrium in vertebrates?

  • Chemoreceptors
  • Photoreceptors
  • Mechanoreceptors (correct)
  • Thermoreceptors

Which part of the ear is primarily responsible for transmitting sound vibrations to the cochlea?

  • Tympanic membrane (correct)
  • Hair cells
  • Auditory nerve
  • Cochlea

How is the pitch of sound detected in the cochlea?

  • Intensity of vibrations
  • Number of sound waves
  • Frequency of nerve impulses
  • Position of stimulated hair cells (correct)

What function do hair cells serve in the sensory systems of vertebrates?

<p>Detect mechanical displacement (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which structure in the ear is responsible for maintaining balance?

<p>Semicircular canals (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What primarily determines the volume of sound detected by the ear?

<p>Number of stimulated hair cells (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which element of the ear helps equalize pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere?

<p>Eustachian tube (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of nerve endings transmit pain signals in the skin?

<p>Free nerve endings (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the vomeronasal organ in some vertebrates?

<p>Chemoception in response to pheromones (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which receptors are primarily responsible for the sense of taste?

<p>Gustatory cells (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do gustatory cells require to detect signals?

<p>Contact with chemical substances (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following structures is involved in the olfactory pathway?

<p>Olfactory bulb (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of the flehmen response?

<p>To draw odorant molecules towards the vomeronasal organ (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which specific taste does not have a unique receptor type among the five recognized tastes?

<p>Sour and Bitter (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes gustatory cells in humans?

<p>They are organized as taste buds on the tongue. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mammals possess over how many different olfactory molecule receptors?

<p>1000 (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role do statolith-containing organs serve in invertebrates?

<p>Sense body movement relative to gravity (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which structure is primarily responsible for detecting body movement in the inner ear of vertebrates?

<p>Semicircular canals (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do olfactory cells contribute to the sense of smell?

<p>By sensing signals from volatile or soluble substances (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the lateral line system in aquatic vertebrates?

<p>Sense vibrations and currents in the water (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of chemoreception?

<p>Detection of temperature changes (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of chemicals are pheromones?

<p>Chemicals for communication among the same species (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which component in the inner ear helps detect equilibrium in vertebrates?

<p>Hair cells (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What primary function do the supporting cells in the lateral line system have?

<p>Support sensory hair cells (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which structure in vertebrates focuses light on photoreceptors?

<p>Crystalline Lens (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In which species are well-developed electroreceptors primarily found?

<p>Sharks (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of vision do compound eyes provide?

<p>Motion tracking (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which photoreceptor type is responsible for detecting light in simple eyes like ocelli?

<p>Single-lens (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic of photoreceptors allows them to respond to light?

<p>Chemical changes in molecules (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the electroreceptors found in catfish?

<p>Detecting electric fields (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is the compound eye's resolution inferior to that of a human eye?

<p>Size and number of lenses (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What trait has been lost in terrestrial species among chordates?

<p>Electroreception (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to rhodopsin in response to light?

<p>Rhodopsin changes configuration (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What occurs to Na+ channels when rhodopsin is activated?

<p>Na+ channels close (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of photoreceptor is primarily sensitive to low light conditions?

<p>Rod photoreceptors (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the outcome for bipolar cells when no glutamate is released?

<p>Bipolar cells can be either depolarized or hyperpolarized (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does lateral inhibition play in retinal processing?

<p>Increases image contrast (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of stimuli do cone photoreceptors detect?

<p>Specific frequencies of light (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is facilitated by the interaction of different neuron types in the retina?

<p>Contrast enhancement through lateral inhibition (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role do free nerve endings play in the context provided?

<p>Detect temperature differences (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Electroreceptors

Specialized sensory cells that detect changes in electrical fields produced by living organisms.

Electroreception

The ability to detect and respond to electrical fields.

Barbels

Tiny projections on the mouth and body of some fish, like catfish, that contain taste receptors.

Photoreceptors

Sensory cells that respond to light.

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Cornea

A transparent outer layer of the eye that helps focus light.

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Lens

A transparent structure inside the eye that further focuses light onto the retina.

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Retina

The layer of tissue at the back of the eye that contains photoreceptors.

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Compound eye

A type of eye found in many invertebrates, such as insects, that consists of many small light-sensitive units.

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Olfactory Sense

The sense of smell, which is highly developed in mammals, with over 1000 different types of receptors to detect various molecules.

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Odorants

Chemical messengers that bind to olfactory receptors in the nose, triggering the sense of smell.

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Olfactory Bulb

A structure within the brain that receives signals from the olfactory receptors and processes information related to smell.

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Vomeronasal Organ

A specialized sensory organ located in the roof of the mouth of some vertebrates. It detects pheromones, chemical signals that play a role in social communication and behavior.

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Flehmen Response

The response of an animal to enhance the detection of pheromones by the vomeronasal organ. It involves lip curling and drawing molecules towards the organ.

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Gustation

The sense of taste, which involves specialized cells on the tongue called gustatory cells.

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Gustatory Cells

Specialized cells responsible for detecting taste sensations.

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Taste Buds

Small, rounded structures on the tongue that house taste buds.

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Free Nerve Endings

Specialized nerve endings in the skin that detect pain signals caused by heat, pressure, or chemicals released from injured cells.

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Hair Cells

Hair-like projections on specialized sensory cells called hair cells. These projections bend in response to movement, triggering the opening of ion channels.

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Pinna

The outer part of the ear that collects sound waves.

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Tympanic Membrane

A thin membrane in the middle ear that vibrates in response to sound waves.

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Middle Ear Bones

Three small bones in the middle ear that transmit vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear.

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Semicircular Canals

The fluid-filled chambers in the inner ear that help maintain balance and sense movement.

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Basilar Membrane

A thin membrane within the cochlea that vibrates in response to sound waves, causing different parts of the membrane to move depending on the frequency of the sound.

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Sensory hair cells

Specialized cells with hair-like projections that sense movement or changes in pressure, crucial for balance and orientation in invertebrates and vertebrates.

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Statholiths

Small, dense particles in the sensory organs of invertebrates that help detect gravity, allowing them to orient themselves in space.

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Inner ear

A sensory organ in vertebrates responsible for balance and detecting head movements. It includes the vestibule, semicircular canals, and the utricle and saccule.

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Cupula

A gelatinous dome-like structure in the semicircular canals of the inner ear, containing hair cells that sense movement. It bends with fluid movement.

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Lateral line system

A system of sensory organs along the sides of fish and some amphibians detecting water pressure changes and vibrations. It helps them navigate and sense prey.

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Pheromones

Chemicals released by an animal to communicate with other members of its species, often used for attracting mates or marking territory.

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Rhodopsin

A type of pigment found in rod photoreceptor cells that changes configuration in response to light, triggering a cascade of events that leads to nerve stimulation.

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Rod Depolarized

A rod photoreceptor cell is in this state when it is not exposed to light. Sodium channels are open, allowing sodium ions to flow into the cell, making it more positively charged (depolarized).

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Rod Hyperpolarized

A rod photoreceptor cell is in this state when it is exposed to light. Sodium channels close, reducing sodium ion flow into the cell, making it more negatively charged (hyperpolarized).

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Glutamate

A neurotransmitter that is released by rod photoreceptors when they are depolarized (in the dark).

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Bipolar Cells

Specialized neurons in the retina that receive input from photoreceptor cells and transmit signals towards the brain.

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Horizontal Cells

Specialized neurons in the retina that connect photoreceptor cells to bipolar cells, contributing to lateral inhibition.

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Lateral Inhibition

A process in the retina where the activity of one neuron inhibits the activity of neighboring neurons, enhancing contrast perception.

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Pit Organs

Specialized sensory organs found in some vipers that detect infrared radiation, allowing them to sense heat.

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Study Notes

Sensory Systems

  • Sensory systems are crucial for interacting with and perceiving the environment.
  • Pain signals are transmitted by free nerve endings responding to thermal and mechanical stimuli, or molecules released by injured cells.
  • Hearing and equilibrium perception are linked, both detecting particles or fluid movement via mechanoreceptors in the body.
  • Hair cells are mechanoreceptors with mechanically-gated ion channels. These channels open in response to displacement of hair-like projections. Channel opening is due to movement within the cell.
  • Vertebrate ears transmit sound vibrations from the tympanic membrane through three middle ear bones to the cochlea.
  • Volume sensing in the ear is based on hair cell stimulation number. Pitch is determined by stimulated hair cell position within the cochlea.
  • Gravity and position are sensed within invertebrates with statolith-containing organs and vertebrates using inner ear sensors.
  • Aquatic vertebrates have lateral line systems to detect water currents and vibrations.
  • Chemoreception, the detection of molecules, is the oldest and most universal sense. It's crucial for locating food, mates, avoiding danger, and sensing chemicals. Examples include identifying food, mates, predators, noxious chemicals (like COâ‚‚ and Hâ‚‚O).
  • Olfaction, the sense of smell, relies on olfactory cells (chemoreceptors). These detect airborne volatile/soluble substances.
  • Pheromones, chemicals used for communication between members of the same species. Some insects use their antennae to capture pheromone signals from the air.
  • Mammals possess a highly developed olfactory system, with thousands of odor molecule receptors.
  • Vomeronasal organs, found in the mouths of various vertebrates, detect pheromones. The flehmen response used in this process.
  • Gustation (taste) is detected by gustatory cells responding to chemicals present in contact with mouth parts. Substances are food-related and water-soluble.
  • Receptor cells in taste buds are specialized to detect one of the five tastes.
  • Taste (gustation) receptors aren't always in the mouth; some animals, like catfish, have concentrated receptors on barbels or distributed over the body.
  • Electroreception senses electric fields produced by muscle activity in living organisms. This is crucial for prey detection, in sharks.
  • Electroreceptors are widely distributed among aquatic chordates, but largely absent in terrestrial species. The platypus has electroreceptors in its bill.
  • Photoreception is the detection of light by photoreceptors. These structures alter form in response to electromagnetic waves within a certain range of wavelengths.
  • Compound eyes, common in arthropods, are composed of many photoreceptor units. Each has its own cornea and focusing lens to create an image.
  • Single-lens eyes in vertebrates focus light onto photoreceptors in the retina.
  • Rod photoreceptors are sensitive to low light, while cone photoreceptors are sensitive to different light frequencies, crucial for color vision.
  • Interactions between different cells in the retina (e.g., bipolar cells, horizontal cells, amacrine cells) enhance image contrast via lateral inhibition.
  • Some vipers have pit organs for detecting infrared radiation which is used for thermal imaging.

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Sensory Systems BIOL 172 31 2024 PDF

Description

Explore the fascinating world of sensory systems and how they enable organisms to perceive their surroundings. This quiz covers the mechanisms of pain transmission, hearing, equilibrium, and the role of mechanoreceptors in these processes. Test your knowledge of the intricate interactions between different sensory systems.

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