CSEC Biology Sep-October 2020

Irritability
Part I
 1. Define the terms ‘stimulus’,
Specific Objectives ‘response’, ‘receptor’, ‘effector’.
2. Describe the response of green
All objectives are as stated as in the plants and invertebrates to stimuli
CSEC syllabus
3. Explain why the response to stimuli
is important for the survival of
organisms
4. Explain the relationship between
the central and peripheral nervous
systems and the effector
5. Explain a simple reflex action
Sensitivity and Coordination
Introduction
In the body coordination means making things happen at the right
time by linking up different body activities. Humans have two
systems that can do this-the nervous system and the hormone or
endocrine system. Plants also show coordinated response to
change.
 Stimulus
A stimulus is a change in an
organism’s environment and a
response is a reaction to that change.
There are two types of stimuli:
1. Internal Stimuli - these come from
inside the body like hunger or thirst.
2. External Stimuli - these come from
outside the body such as smell of a cake
or texture of cloth.
We will be focusing on External Stimuli.
The change in your
environment is detected by
your sensory organs and the
response is carried out by the
muscles. The organ which
detects the stimuli is called a
receptor organ and the
response carried out is carried
out by an effector.
Receptor
A receptor detects the
stimuli and converts it
into an impulse.

The role of receptors is to detect a

stimulus and changing its energy
from electrical energy to nerve
impulses. Example the eye converts
light energy into nerve impulses and
the ears convert sound energy into
nerve impulses. The conversion of
energy from one form to another is
called transduction. All receptors are
transducers!
Coordination
Coordination of a response
is carried out by the nervous
system. This tells the body
how to respond to the
stimuli by sending signals.
Nervous System
The nervous system is a complex network of nervous tissue
that carries electrical messages throughout the body. It
includes the brain and spinal cord, the central nervous
system, and nerves that run throughout the body, the
peripheral nervous system.
 The Central Nervous
System (CNS)
The brain is the organ that lets us understand
what we see, hear, or sense in other ways. It
also allows us to use language, learn, think,
and remember. The brain controls the organs
in our body and our movements as well.

The spinal cord is a long, tube-shaped bundle

of neurons, protected by the vertebrae. It runs
from the brainstem to the lower back. The
main job of the spinal cord is to carry nerve
impulses back and forth between the body
and brain. The spinal cord is like a two-way
highway. Messages about the body, both
inside and out, pass through the spinal cord
to the brain. Messages from the brain pass in
the other direction through the spinal cord to
tell the body what to do.
The Peripheral
Nervous System
(PNS)
This consists of the nerve
cells found outside of the
central nervous system.
Nerve Cells aka
Neuron

Neurones (nerve cells)

are specialised cells
adapted to rapidly
carry electrochemical
changes called nerve
impulses from one part
of the body to another.

Must know how to draw and label.

It is pertinent to your existence.
 ● The cell body contains the nucleus and other cell
Parts of a Neuron organelles.
● Dendrites extend from the cell body and receive nerve
impulses from other neurons.
● The axon is a long extension of the cell body that
transmits nerve impulses to other cells. The axon
branches at the end, forming axon terminals. These are
the points where the neuron communicates with other
cells.
● The axon of many neurons has an outer layer called a
myelin sheath. Myelin is a lipid produced by a type of a
glial cell known as a Schwann cell. The myelin sheath
acts like a layer of insulation, similar to the plastic that
encases an electrical cord. Regularly spaced nodes, or
gaps, in the myelin sheath allow nerve impulses to skip
along the axon very rapidly.
Types of Neurons
Sensory Neuron Relay Neuron Motor Neuron

Carry nerve Carry nerve impulses Carry nerve

impulses from back and forth impulses from the
tissues and organs between sensory brain and spinal
to the spinal cord and motor neurons. cord to muscles and
and brain. glands
Effector

An effector converts the impulse

into an action.

The response can be either muscular

or glandular.

Muscular responses are movements

the muscles make in respnse to a
stimuli.

Glandular responses are when

glands produce various substances in
response to a stimuli like sweat.
Reflex Action

These are automatic

responses important for
survival.

A reflex is made possible by

neural pathways called reflex
arcs which can act on an impulse
before that impulse reaches the
brain.

A reflex arc is the nerve pathway

involved in a reflex action,
including at its simplest a
sensory nerve and a motor nerve
with a synapse between.
Why is the response to a stimuli important for survival?
The ability to respond to stimuli is a characteristic of life and
increases the chances of survival for an organism
Example:
To be able to detect and move away from harmful stimuli such as
predators and extremes of temperatures, or to detect and move
towards a source of food clearly aids survival.
That’s all folks.
“Don’t let what you cannot
do interfere with what can
do.”
- From an expert from somewhere on Earth