Lecture 6- Sensory Ecology Flashcards
(17 cards)
Sensory Receptors
Nerve endings that respond to stimuli, transmit information via neurons
Neurons
Nerve cells that receive and transfer electrical and chemical signals.
Action Potential
A wave of membrane depolarization flowing along nerve cell membrane.
Synapse
the point of contact between neurons where information is passed from one to the next
Dendrites
Detect a stimulus
Cell body
Where information is integrated
Axon
conducts an electrical signal to the axon terminal where it can be transmitted to another neuron, organ, or muscle
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that carry chemical signals from one neuron to the next target cell.
Chemoreception
Occurs when a chemical molecule binds to a receptor on the surface of a sensory neuron.
Gustation
The detection of dissolved chemicals, often within the mouth
Olfaction
The detection of airborne chemical stimuli
Pheromones
Volatile, species-specific organic compounds produced by individuals, that typically elicit responses in conspecifics.
Sensilla
an arthropod sensory organ protruding from the cuticle of exoskeleton or sometimes lying within or beneath it
Olfaction in male Polyphemus Moths
Use their enormous antennae to locate newly emerged females, identify by their pheromones at distances up to half a mile
Olfaction in Mosquitoes
Have olfactory sensilla on their palps
Tongue flicking in snakes
Allows snakes to detect smell and bring the smell up to their Jacobson’s organ inside of their mouth
Sensory receptors responsible for the perception of sweet and umami tastes in rodents
T1R1 and T1R3 are required to detect amino acids (Umami), while T1R2 and T1R3 are required to detect sweet tastes
