Sensitivity

of the skin towards stimuli depends on

a. the number of receptors
b. the thickness of the skin epidermis

Combination of the sense of taste and the sense of smell
- A person suffers from cold have no appetite to eat because their sense of smell is weak
- The nasal cavity is filled with mucus and prevents chemical substances in food to be
detected by the smell receptors

Limitations of sight
- Optical illusions
- Blind spot

Defects of sight
Short-sightedness (myopia) Long-sightedness (Hypermetropia)
See near objects clearly but distant objects See distant objects clearly but near objects
are blurry are blurry
- Eye lens are too thick - Eye lens are too thin
- Eyeball are too long - Eyeball are too short
[Drawing] [Drawing]
Image formed in front of the retina Image formed behind the retina
[Drawing] [Drawing]
Concave lenses to diverge light Convex lenses to converge light

Astigmatism
See part of an object clearer than the rest of the object
[Drawing]
Caused by the uneven curvature of the cornea or eye lens
Can be corrected using cylindrical lenses

Defects of hearing – using hearing aid

Innovation and technology to improve the ability of sensory organs
- Magnifying glass
- Telescope
- Stethoscope
- Microscope
- Loudspeaker


Stimuli and responses in plants
a. Tropism
i. Phototropism – the response of plants towards light
a. Positive phototropism – shoots of plants
b. Negative phototropism – roots of plants
ii. Hydrotropism – the response of plants towards water
a. Positive hydrotropism – roots of plants
b. Negative hydrotropism – shoots of plants
iii. Geotropism – the response of plants towards gravity
a. Positive geotropism – roots of plants
b. Negative geotropism – shoots of plants
iv. Thigmotropism – the response of plants towards touch
a. Cucumber plants – tendrils
b. Morning glory plants – twining stems

(Positive tropism – part of plant grows towards stimulus)
(Negative tropism – part of plant grows away from stimulus)

b. Nastic movement
- The response of plants towards touch but does not depend on the direction of the
stimulus
- Occurs more rapidly than tropism
- Serves as a defense against its enemies and strong wind
- Mimosa sp. – by folding its leaves inwards when touched

Stereoscopic vision Monocular vision

[DRAWING] [DRAWING]

Both eyes at the front of the head Both eyes at the sides of the head
A narrow field of vision A wide field of vision
To estimate distance accurately To detect the enemies coming from any
direction
Three dimensional images formed in the Two dimensional images formed in the non-
overlapping fields of vision overlapping fields of vision
Most predators Most preys

Stereophonic hearing
- Hearing using both ears
- To determine the direction of the sound accurately