46. Sensory Systems

Which sensory receptor—category pair is correct? (A)hair cell—nociceptor (B)snake pit organ—mechanoreceptor (C)taste receptor—chemoreceptor (D)olfactory receptor—electromagnetic receptor

In the human ear, how do different hair cells respond to different frequencies of sound? a. Waves of pressure move through the fluid in the cochlea. b. Hair cells are 'sandwiched' between membranes. c. Receptor proteins in the stereocilia of each hair cell are different; each protein responds to a certain range of frequencies. d. Because the basilar membrane varies in stiffness, it vibrates in certain places in response to certain frequencies.

The middle ear converts a. air pressure waves to fluid pressure waves. b. air pressure waves to nerve impulses. c. fluid pressure waves to nerve impulses. d. pressure waves to hair cell movements.

Evaluate the following statements according to information presented in this chapter. Select True or False for each statement. T/F Most human eyes have one type of rod and three types of cones. T/F Rods are more sensitive to dim light than cones are. T/F Nocturnal animals have fewer rods than diurnal animals T/F Both rods and cones use retinal and opsins to detect light.

Which of these statements about taste is true? a. Sweetness is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in food. b. Sodium ions from foods can directly depolarize certain taste cells. c. All bitter-tasting compounds have a similar chemical structure. d. Sourness is detected when hydrogen ions bind to membrane receptors.

The human brain differentiates tastes from smells because action potentials for the two sensations differ in (A)magnitude and shape. (B)threshold potential. (C)where they are received in the brain. (D)how long they take to reach the brain.

What type of sensory system do migrating birds use to detect direction?

The transduction of sound waves into action potentials occurs a. in the tectorial membrane as it is stimulated by hair cells. b. when hair cells are bent against the tectorial membrane, causing them to depolarize and release neurotransmitter that stimulates sensory neurons. c. as the basilar membrane vibrates at different frequencies in response to the varying volume of sounds. d. within the middle ear as the vibrations are amplified by the malleus, incus, and stapes.

Considering that sounds and odors both trigger changes in the patterns of action potentials in sensory neurons, how does the brain perceive which sense is which when the action potentials reach the brain? a. The action potentials stimulated by sounds are different in size and shape from those stimulated by odors. b. The axons from different sensory neurons go to different areas of the brain. c. Mechanoreception is not consciously perceived by the brain, whereas chemoreception is. d. Chemoreception is not consciously perceived by the brain, whereas mechanoreception is.

Give three examples of how the sensory abilities of an animal correlate with its habitat or method of finding food and mates.

Compare and contrast the lateral line system of fishes with electroreception in sharks.

Scientists generally think that a 'good hypothesis' is one that is reasonable and testable and inspires further research into a phenomenon. Using these criteria, explain whether Dalton's hypothesis about color vision was a good hypothesis. Was it correct?

Scientists collected data on the date of onset of the menstrual cycles in a group of women who moved into a college dormitory together in the fall. The y-axis of the graph shows the mean difference (in days) between the onset of a woman's cycle and the average onset date of the rest of the women. Evaluate whether these data provide evidence for the existence of a human pheromone.

Design experiments to test the hypothesis that electric eels are both electrogenic and electroreceptive.

Honeybees live in social groups consisting of a queen, up to several hundred male drones, and thousands of infertile female workers. The drones mate with the queen only, and the workers protect the hive, forage, and feed and groom the queen. The health of the hive depends on the female workers performing these duties instead of reproducing. What roles do pheromones play in maintaining a functional beehive? Scientists have identified dozens of pheromones used by honeybees for communication. Which type of sensory system uses pheromones? a. mechanoreception b. photoreception c. chemoreception d. thermoreception e. electroreception

Honeybees live in social groups consisting of a queen, up to several hundred male drones, and thousands of infertile female workers. The drones mate with the queen only, and the workers protect the hive, forage, and feed and groom the queen. The health of the hive depends on the female workers performing these duties instead of reproducing. What roles do pheromones play in maintaining a functional beehive? Honeybees produce an alarm pheromone when their hive is molested. This pheromone stimulates the bees to protect the hive. If you were to count the number of alarm pheromone receptors in honeybee tissues, which type of bee would likely have the most—a queen, a drone, or a worker? Why?

Honeybees live in social groups consisting of a queen, up to several hundred male drones, and thousands of infertile female workers. The drones mate with the queen only, and the workers protect the hive, forage, and feed and groom the queen. The health of the hive depends on the female workers performing these duties instead of reproducing. What roles do pheromones play in maintaining a functional beehive? Why might an alarm pheromone be more effective for triggering a protective response in a hive than signals that involve other senses, such as vision or hearing?

Honeybees live in social groups consisting of a queen, up to several hundred male drones, and thousands of infertile female workers. The drones mate with the queen only, and the workers protect the hive, forage, and feed and groom the queen. The health of the hive depends on the female workers performing these duties instead of reproducing. What roles do pheromones play in maintaining a functional beehive? Researchers observed that the queen produces a pheromone that attracts both drones and workers. They hypothesized that this pheromone inhibits ovarian development in the workers, making the workers infertile. To test this hypothesis, they exposed workers to a synthetic version of the queen pheromone and then recorded their 'ovary development score.' (Higher scores indicate more fully developed ovaries.) The results are shown in the graph here. Do these results support the researchers' hypothesis? Why or why not? (*** signifies P<0.001.)

Honeybees live in social groups consisting of a queen, up to several hundred male drones, and thousands of infertile female workers. The drones mate with the queen only, and the workers protect the hive, forage, and feed and groom the queen. The health of the hive depends on the female workers performing these duties instead of reproducing. What roles do pheromones play in maintaining a functional beehive? In the experiment described in Question 14, the researchers dissolved the queen pheromone in diethyl ether, a chemical that helps volatilize the pheromone, making it easier for the workers to detect it in the air. The control treatment consisted of plain diethyl ether. Why did they use this as the control, instead of simply not exposing the workers to any chemical?

Honeybees live in social groups consisting of a queen, up to several hundred male drones, and thousands of infertile female workers. The drones mate with the queen only, and the workers protect the hive, forage, and feed and groom the queen. The health of the hive depends on the female workers performing these duties instead of reproducing. What roles do pheromones play in maintaining a functional beehive? Beekeepers carefully manage their beehives by adding mated queens, drones, and workers at appropriate times. However, sometimes the bees abandon a new hive before the queen can mature, and the result is inefficient hive management and honey production. Suggest a potential use of queen pheromone in controlling this problem.