STIMULUS- anything in the environment

(light, water, heat, pressure, wind, touch,

etc) that triggers a physiological change
in an organism
RESPONSE- the corresponding reaction
to an environmental stimulus. In the long
run, a series of responses will enable an
organism to adapt and survive.

I. Photoreceptors- respond to light

II. Mechanoreceptors- respond to
physical stimuli such as sound or touch
III. Chemoreceptors- detect chemicals
IV. Thermoreceptors- respond to
temperature
V. Pain receptors- detect possible
tissue damage

The three types of eyes that have

evolved in the animal kingdom are:
I. Eye cups in flatworms and other
invertebrates
II. Compound eyes in insects and
arthropods
III. Single lens eyes in squid

The conjunctiva lines the

eyelids and the front of the
eyeball.
It helps keep the eyes moist.

The sclera surrounds the

choroid.
• The iris giving the eye its
color, is formed from the
Choroid

Vision starts when light

passes through the pupil and
into a transparent lens that
focuses images on the retina.The retina contains
photoreceptor cells which
transduce light energy into
action potentials.

These nerve impulses travel

along the optic nerve to the
corresponding visual areas of
the brain. An image is then
Formed.

I. Rod cells use the pigment called

rhodopsin. They are used for night
vision and can detect only
shades of gray and not color.
II. Cone cells distinguish various
colors and they are sensitive to bright
Light.

The outer ear lobes catch

sound waves and channel
them to the eardrums.

From the eardrum, the middle

ear amplifies the sound wave
vibrations to three small bones
– the hammer, anvil and
Stirrup.
The sound waves travel to the
oval window.
The Eustachian tube
equalizes air pressure in
the middle ear and outer ear.

The hearing organ is in the

inner ear, composed of several
channels of fluid wrapped in a
spiral cochlea.

This is encased in the bones of

the skull.
Vibrations in the oval
window produce pressure
Waves.

These waves travel through the

upper canal to the tip of the
cochlea, enter the lower
canal and fade away.Pressure waves of the upper
canal push down to the
middle canal and the
membrane below this canal
vibrates.These vibrations stimulate
hair cells attached to the
membrane by moving them
against the overlying tissue.

The hair cells are able to

develop receptor potentials
causing release of
neurotransmitters that induce
action potentials in the auditory
Neurons

The senses of odor and taste

are interrelated.
Chemoreceptors in the nose
detect molecules, differentiated
into numerous types of odor.
In the upper portion of the nasal
cavity, there are olfactory
chemoreceptors.
Odor molecules enter the nose and
bind to specific receptor molecules on
the chemoreceptor cilia. This event
triggers receptor potentials.

In the tongue, chemoreceptors in

taste buds detect salty, bitter,
sweet and sour tastes.
Taste perception is due to similar
signal mechanisms as mentioned
above for smell.

What one “tastes” is

actually “smell” or odor. The
common cold (due to a virus) can
disrupt our sense of smell, thus,
we lose taste for the food.