Senses and Neural Mechanisms

Question 1

What are all the sensory modalities?

Answer 1

Sight

Taste

Smell

Touch

Hearing

Echolocation

Electroreception

Magnetoreception

Pressure

Proprioception

Question 2

What are the differences between human and bird cone cells?

Answer 2

Humans have three types of photoreceptors (cones)

Birds have four - fourth detects shorter wavelengths which includes UV

Question 3

What experiment proved UV is important for sexual selection in birds?

Answer 3

Blocked out UV patch on males using suncream

Compared them to control

Reduced UV males took longer to acquire a mate

Controls also had more extra-pair copulations

UV patch is more attractive to females

Question 4

Why is UV important for birds?

Answer 4

Important for sexual selection

Allows predatory birds to see prey’s urine trails

Question 5

Why are male moth antennae longer than females?

Answer 5

Use olfactory senses in the antennae to detect sex pheromones from females

Question 6

Why is the star nose important in Star-Nosed moles?

Answer 6

Star senses pressure changes and what is in front of the mole

Allows animal to feel underground

Question 7

What appendage is the Star-Nosed mole biased to? Why might this be?

Answer 7

Appendage 11

Has 7% of the Eimer’s organs but more than 10% of nerve fibres going to the brain

Lower down on the star so may be for identifying if something is food

Question 8

What is the anatomy and physiology of a Noctuid moth ear?

Answer 8

Near the bottom of the thoracic segment

Mainly made up of air sacs and has two receptors

Receptors pick up signals and transfer to neurons

Neurons send the signal to be processed by the thoracic ganglia and then to the brain

Brain processes the information to give a motor cue