UNIT 3: SENSITIVITY

1. Interaction with the environment.

SENSITIVITY: when living things receive information from the environment, they produce the most
appropriate response in order to survive.

STIMULUS (pl. STIMULI): is a change in the internal or external environment. It can be:

- Internal stimulus: When they come from inside the organism. Ex: hunger (hambre) and thirst (sed).
- External stimulus: When they come from the environment. Ex: Sun rays (rayos de sol), predator
(cazador)

2. How do plants respond to stimuli?

Plants are able to produce responses to a variety of stimuli. Plants can detect changes in the environment
and respond to them. The most common response it to slowly grow in a direction determined by the
stimuli this responses.

These responses are called tropism and can be:

- Responses to light or PHOTOTROPISM: Plants need light to perform photosynthesis in order to

make organic compounds.
- Responses to gravity or GEOTROPISM: Plants can detect gravity. Roots grow downwards into the
soil to find water and mineral salts.
- Responses to water or HYDROTROPISM: Water is essential for plants and is absorbed through the
roots.

3. Animal behaviour. (comportamiento de los animales)

Animal behavior consists of a sequence of actions, caused by a stimulus that produces a particular
response.

Animal life consists of a series of behavior patterns related to:

- FOOD: hunting
- REPRODUCTION: mating and caring
- DEFENCE OR DANGER: protecting territory

Diferent responses

To know what happens from the stimulus until the response, we need to answer the following questions:

1. How does the organism detect the change in the environment?

2. How does the organism respond to these changes?
3. How are detecting stimuli and responding mechanisms related inside the organism?
4. How do animals detect stimuli?

The structures specialized in detecting stimuli in animals are called receptors. They can be grouped in the
sense organs.

Type of receptors

The sense organs are specialized receptors. Each sense organ is designed to detect a particular type of
stimulus.

 R. of chemical stumuli:
o Direct : when the chemical substances is in contact which the receptors.(taste)
o Distant : when the chemical substances is carried by the with.(smell)
 R. of thermal stimuli:
They detect when the temperature changes in the environment.
They are all over the body.
 R. of mechanical stimuli: They are sensitive to:
o Contact and pressure. The sense of touch is responsible for this and its receptors are found all
over the skin.
o Vibrations transmitted through air or water. In vertebrates, the sense of hearing detects
sounds waves.
 R. of light stimuli: They are called photoreceptors because they are sensitive to light. Ej. Eyes.

5. How do animals respond to stimuli?

MOVEMENT: It is the effectors that produce the movement are the muscles which are the part of the
locomotor system.

The locomotor system includes all the organs and structures that enable animals to move. In vertebrates,
the main organs are:

- Muscles: They are the active part of the locomotor system. They are attached to the bones by
tendons
- Bones: They make up the skeleton in vertebrates. Bones are connected by joints.

PRODUCTION OF SUBTANCES: The response is an increase in the production of a substance. This process is
known as secretion.

6. Highly specialised effectors

 COLOUR CHANGUES: The change in colour of an animal´s body is the response produced by some
animals in order to camouflage themselves when they sense danger. Ex. chamaleon
 ELECTRIC DISCHARGES: Generating electricity is the response produced by some animals to
communicate with other individuals of the same species. Ex.Ray
 POISONOUS GLANDS: Producing toxic substances can be a response to the attack of a predator of
the presence of potential. Ex. jellyfish