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9.5 Option – Communication: 1. Detecting stimuli
| Syllabus reference (October 2002 version) | ||
|---|---|---|
1. Humans, and other animals, are able
to detect a range of stimuli from the external
environment, some of which are useful for
communication |
Students learn to:
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Students: |
Extract from Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (Amended
October 2002). © Board of Studies, NSW
[Edit: 9 Jun 09]
Background: Communication is the transfer of information from one animal to another. The message or signal is passed between a sender and a receiver. The ability to detect and respond to stimuli is essential for survival. By detecting changes in the external environment, humans and other animals are able to respond appropriately. We use a range of senses to detect our environment and to communicate with others.
identify data sources, gather and process information from secondary sources to identify the range of senses involved in communication
- Identify the data sources and determine the appropriate ways in which each aspect may be researched.
- Try to gather information from a range of resources, including popular scientific journals, digital technologies like CD-ROMs and the Internet. Focus on collecting simple descriptions of the senses involved in communication. Then choose a range of senses that are used as a form of communication in humans and other animals.
- Once you have collected it, summarise the information. The table below is a model for you to follow.
| Senses
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Human examples
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Other animal examples
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|---|---|---|
|
sight (visual)
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facial expression signal emotions including
aggression
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bioluminescence in fireflies to attract mates,
female chimpanzees have a coloured rump to show when
they are ready for mating, Blue-ringed octopus signal
an intention to attack by glowing blue rings on their
bodies.
|
|
smell (olfactory)
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not so important in humans, human females may
change their menstrual cycle because of olfactory
information
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animals release pheromones to make their presence
known; male mice will mate immediately they smell a
receptive female.
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hearing (auditory)
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language used extensively to convey information,
used as a warning signal.
|
crickets use sound as a warning and to attract
mates, some moths can hear the ultrasonic calls of
bats and can avoid being eaten, frogs use sound for
mating calls, dolphins use echolocation.
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|
touch (tactile)
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used in group bonding and in mating. Also used
aggressively
|
seagull chicks get their mothers to release food
by pecking on their beaks. Bees dance to communicate
the location of food.
|
|
taste
|
some butterflies such as the Monarch butterfly
have a bitter taste to communicate that they are
poisonous
|
Here are some Internet sites to get you started.
Human senses, 
Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, USA.
Bird senses , Natural History Museum
of Los Angeles County Foundation, USA.
identify the role of receptors in detecting stimuli
- A stimulus is a change in the environment. Examples of stimuli include light, sound, temperature, pressure, pain and certain chemicals.
- A receptor is a specialised cell that detects a stimulus. As a result a nerve impulse may be generated or a hormone produced. There is a range of receptor cells adapted to detecting specific stimuli, e.g. rods and cones in the eye. Sometimes receptors are distributed all over the body, such as touch receptors in the skin. In other cases, particular receptors are concentrated in an organ, such as the eye, or an endocrine gland such as the adrenal gland.
explain
that the response to a stimulus involves:
- stimulus
- receptor
- messenger
- response
In order that a stimulus may produce a response, a receptor must detect the stimulus. A message must then be passed to a messenger, which may be a nerve or a hormone. The messenger then passes information to an effector, which may be a gland or a muscle, which responds to the information.
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