Deck 46: Animal Sensory Systems and Movement

Question 1

A person able to hear only high-frequency sounds would probably have which of the following structural problems in the ear?

A)The tympanum is damaged because of chronic ear infections.
B)The basilar membrane is stiffened along its entire length.
C)The ear ossicles are abnormally thickened.
D)All of the above problems could result in inability to detect low-frequency sound.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

If you experimentally reduce the concentration of K⁺ in the extracellular fluid surrounding hair cells in the inner ear,the result would be like which of the following?

A)decreasing the volume of sound reaching the hair cells
B)increasing the volume of sound reaching the hair cells
C)decreasing the frequency of sound reaching the hair cells
D)increasing the frequency of sound reaching the hair cells

Answer 2

A

Question 3

If a biochemist discovered an enzyme inhibitor for the enzyme photodiesterase (PDE)how would vision be affected if this enzyme inhibitor was applied to a vertebrate eye?

A)The opsins found in cones would not be differentiated into the red,blue,and green proteins,causing the animals to be color blind.
B)The cGMP-gated sodium channels would remain open,glutamate would be continuously discharged at the synapses,and the brain would not detect light absorbed by the rod cells.
C)The lens could not be appropriately adjusted to focus light on the retina,resulting in either nearsightedness or farsightedness.
D)All of the above answers are correct.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

When a neurobiologist is interested in determining if an animal can see in color what structures are they looking for in the eye?

A)opsins
B)electroreceptors
C)pupil
D)lens

Question 5

Researchers surgically fuse two of the three ossicles in the inner ear of a mouse,effectively leaving two functional,linked ossicles in place of three.When the mouse's hearing is tested,what outcome would be expected?

A)The mouse would be more sensitive to sound,but only in the low-frequency range.
B)The mouse would be more sensitive to sound,but only in the high-frequency range.
C)The mouse would be more sensitive to sound in general.
D)The mouse would be less sensitive to sound in general.

Question 6

How would the vision of a fly be affected if several of the axons extending from the ommatidia of its compound eye were damaged?

A)The fly could not detect light in the affected eye.
B)The fly would be color blind in the affected eye.
C)The fly would have reduced resolution in the affected eye.
D)The fly's vision would not be affected,because the remaining functional ommatidia can adjust to compensate for the damaged ones.

Question 7

Partial or complete loss of hearing (deafness)can be caused by damage to the _____.

A)axons of the neurons associated with each hair cell that carry information to the brain
B)hair cells (the sensory receptors)in the cochlea
C)tympanic membrane,or eardrum
D)axons of the neurons associated with each hair cell that carry information to the brain or hair cells (the sensory receptors)in the cochlea
E)Damage to all of the above can cause complete or partial deafness.

Question 8

Corneal surgery is now routinely performed to improve vision.This surgery _____.

A)improves the circulation of nutrients to the eye
B)improves the focusing of light onto the retina
C)increases the amount of light entering the eye
D)increases the sensitivity of the photoreceptors
E)both improves the focusing of light onto the retina and increases the amount of light entering the eye

Question 9

Bat echolocation (sonar)is most closely related to which human sensory system?

A)hearing
B)smell
C)taste
D)touch
E)vision

Question 10

How would an abnormally large oval window in a mouse affect that animal's hearing?

A)The mouse could detect noise at much lower volumes.
B)The mouse could detect noise in a much broader range of frequencies.
C)Hearing ability would be reduced in comparison with normal mice.
D)Hearing is not affected by the size of the oval window.

Question 11

Which type of receptor would you expect to be most abundant in the antennae of a moth?

A)thermoreceptors
B)mechanoreceptors
C)chemoreceptors
D)electroreceptors
E)nociceptors

Question 12

Deafness caused by loud sounds often results from damage to which receptor cells?

A)thermoreceptors
B)mechanoreceptors
C)chemoreceptors
D)electroreceptors
E)nociceptors

Question 13

Hair cells in the vertebrate ear are responsible for transducing sound pressure waves.Ion channels in the hair cell membrane open when _____.

A)a chemical ligand binds to the ion channel
B)light is absorbed by a molecule in the membrane
C)the cell membrane reaches a threshold voltage
D)the membrane is distorted mechanically

Question 14

The amount of depolarization that occurs in a sound-receptor cell is proportional to the volume (loudness)of the sound.

Question 15

A salmon follows a scent trail upstream to find its way back to the stream where it hatched.What type of sensory receptor cell would it use?

A)thermoreceptors
B)mechanoreceptors
C)chemoreceptors
D)electroreceptors
E)nociceptors

Question 16

Damage to sensory receptor cells could result in _____.

A)hallucinations
B)inaccurate integration of sensory information
C)an inability to detect sensory information
D)an inability to detect sensory information and hallucinations
E)an inability to detect sensory information,inaccurate integration of sensory information,and hallucinations

Question 17

Elephants hear sounds that are too low for humans to hear.This sensitivity is primarily due to the differences in the _____.

A)arrangement and shape of the ossicles
B)flexibility of the basilar membrane in the cochlea
C)size and flexibility of the tympanic membrane (eardrum)
D)size and shape of the outer ear
E)All of the above apply.

Question 18

What is the function of the cochlea?

A)to amplify the sound vibrations
B)to collect sound pressure waves
C)to detect the frequency of sounds
D)to amplify the sound vibrations and collect sound pressure waves
E)to amplify the sound vibrations,collect sound pressure waves,and detect the frequency of sounds

Question 19

How could you genetically modify an animal so that it would distinguish more shades of green?

A)Induce genes to produce a greater number of cone cells in the fovea.
B)Introduce genes for different opsins that respond in the green region of the spectrum.
C)Introduce genes to produce green fluid in the eyeball,because green fluids will not absorb green light.
D)Induce increased production of cGMP to increase opening of cGMP-gated sodium channels.

Question 20

How does the ear allow humans to distinguish the volume of different sounds?

A)Louder sounds cause larger action potentials than do softer sounds.
B)Louder sounds cause smaller action potentials than do softer sounds.
C)Louder sounds induce a higher frequency of action potentials than do softer sounds.
D)Louder sounds induce a lower frequency of action potentials than do softer sounds.
E)Louder sounds cause larger action potentials than do softer sounds,and louder sounds induce a higher frequency of action potentials than do softer sounds.

Question 21

When an action potential from a motor neuron arrives at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ),a series of events occurs that leads to muscle contraction.Which of the following events will occur last (i.e. ,after all of the others)?

A)ACh release
B)action potential propagation down the T-tubules
C)conformational change in troponin
D)depolarization of the muscle cell
E)release of Ca²⁺ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum

Question 22

Which of the following is a false description of the transduction of a stimulus by sensory receptors into signals in the form of action potentials?

A)Pressure from sound waves bends cilia in specialized hearing cells,causing ion channels in the plasma membrane to open or close and resulting in a change in ion flow that depolarizes or hyperpolarizes the membrane.
B)Light can cause some molecules to change conformation,which then triggers a cascade of events leading to a change in the cell's membrane.
C)Molecules in the air travel up the nose to mucous membranes,where they bend cilia in hair cells,open ion channels,and cause depolarization of the cell membrane.
D)Na⁺ and H⁺ can flow through sodium and proton channels respectively to directly depolarize the cell membranes of some taste cells,causing the salty or sour taste sensations.
E)Many types of molecules can bind to a variety of receptors in taste cells,leading to depolarization of the cell membrane and causing the taste sensation of bitterness.

Question 23

A patient is hospitalized with muscle spasms caused by failure of back muscles to relax after contraction.Which of the following would be most likely to help?

A)Inject calcium into the muscle cell because it is not being released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
B)Induce tropomycin and troponin to bind to the myosin binding sites on actin.
C)Increase the amount of acetylcholine at the synapses between motor neurons and muscle cells.
D)Depolarize the motor neurons to send an action potential to the muscle cells.

Question 24

Training for long-distance running causes a significant increase in _____.

A)the cross-sectional area of slow-twitch muscle fibers (cells)
B)the number of myofibrils per muscle fiber (cell),increasing cell size
C)the number of slow-twitch muscle fibers (cells)
D)both the cross-sectional area of slow-twitch muscle fibers (cells)and the number of myofibrils per muscle fiber (cell),increasing cell size
E)the cross-sectional area of slow-twitch muscle fibers (cells);the number of myofibrils per muscle fiber (cell),increasing cell size;and the number of slow-twitch muscle fibers (cells)

Question 25

Use the following information when answering the corresponding question(s).
"Marine cone snails from the genus Conus are estimated to consist of up to 700 species.These predatory molluscs have devised an efficient venom apparatus that allows them to successfully capture polychaete worms,other molluscs or in some cases fish as their primary food sources.… conotoxins from Australian species of Conus … have the capacity to inhibit specifically the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in higher animals." (B.G.Livett,K.R.Gayler,and Z.Khalil.2004.Drugs from the sea: Conopeptides as potential therapeutics.Current Medicinal Chemistry 11:1715-23. )
Refer to the paragraph on the venom of marine core snails.What is the adaptive value of this toxin?

A)It would cause muscle spasms in the prey.
B)It would result in paralysis of the skeletal muscle of the prey.
C)It would stimulate digestive tract smooth muscle to cause nausea and vomiting of the prey.
D)Either it would result in paralysis of the skeletal muscle or it would stimulate digestive tract smooth muscle to cause nausea and vomiting;or it would result in both paralysis of the skeletal muscle and stimulation of the digestive tract smooth muscles to cause nausea and vomiting.

Question 26

What causes rigor mortis?

A)exhaustion of Ca²⁺ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum
B)lack of ATP in dead tissue
C)lack of acetylcholine (ACh)in dead tissue
D)cessation of action potentials after death

Question 27

Which of the following organelles are present in high densities in smooth and skeletal muscles?

A)vesicles
B)mitochondria
C)nuclei
D)endoplasmic reticulum
E)both mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum

Question 28

What would be the effect on muscle contraction if troponin were experimentally altered to no longer interact with tropomyosin,so the complex could no longer bind to actin?

A)Muscle contraction could no longer occur.
B)Muscles could not relax after contraction.
C)Muscle contraction would be weakened but would still occur as long as tropomyosin is functional.
D)ATP could not be hydrolyzed by enzymes in the muscle.

Question 29

Compared to human eyes,the eyes of cephalopods (squid and octopus)_____.

A)are extremely similar,with no significant differences
B)are not camera eyes and do not have a single lens
C)are inferior because they have few photoreceptors
D)do not have a blind spot

Question 30

Two students studying physiology taste a known "bitter" substance,and both report sensing bitterness.They then sample another substance.Student A reports sensing both a bitter taste and a salty taste,but student B reports only a salty taste.What is the most logical explanation?

A)Student A had an allergic reaction to the food,causing him to perceive the food as being bitter.
B)Student A has normal "bitter" taste buds;student B has defective "bitter" taste buds that result in lower sensitivity to bitterness.
C)Student A has a protein receptor capable of detecting a bitter molecule found in that substance,whereas student B lacks that particular protein receptor.
D)Student A has normal saliva,whereas student B's saliva is more alkaline than normal.

Question 31

Use the following information when answering the corresponding question(s).
"Marine cone snails from the genus Conus are estimated to consist of up to 700 species.These predatory molluscs have devised an efficient venom apparatus that allows them to successfully capture polychaete worms,other molluscs or in some cases fish as their primary food sources.… conotoxins from Australian species of Conus … have the capacity to inhibit specifically the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in higher animals." (B.G.Livett,K.R.Gayler,and Z.Khalil.2004.Drugs from the sea: Conopeptides as potential therapeutics.Current Medicinal Chemistry 11:1715-23. )
Refer to the paragraph on the venom of marine core snails.This particular conotoxin inhibits acetylcholine receptors that are located _____.

A)along the motor neuron axon
B)on motor neuron dendrites
C)on the presynaptic membrane of the neuromuscular junction
D)on the postsynaptic membrane,on the muscle cell

Question 32

Acidic amino acids taste sour.

Question 33

When a doctor tests your patellar reflex by tapping the tendon on the front of your knee,your lower leg comes forward.Which muscle relaxes in this reflex?

A)hamstring (located in the back of your thigh)
B)quadriceps (located in the front of your thigh)

Question 34

What would happen to people exposed to a chemical warfare agent that blocked acetylcholine from binding to muscle receptors?

A)Action potentials would be continuously generated,causing convulsive muscle contractions.
B)Muscle contractions would be prevented,causing paralysis.
C)Muscle contractions could still occur,but relaxation of the muscle would be impaired.
D)Action potentials would be continuously generated,causing convulsive muscle contractions;muscle contractions would then be prevented,causing paralysis.

Question 35

How do citrus fruits such as lemons cause the basic taste of sour?

A)the more acidic the food the more depolarization of the sensory receptor
B)Ascorbic acid binds to sensory receptors on the plasma membrane of taste cells,which leads to the triggering of cellular activity that trigger a sour taste response.
C)Sugars and ascorbic acid bind sensory receptors on the plasma membrane of taste cells,which leads to the triggering of cellular activity that trigger a sour taste response.
D)Citric acid amplifies the sour taste of vitamin C when it binds to specialized receptors on the taste cells.

Question 36

Mammals have a family of 500 and 1000 genes that encode receptor proteins on the surface of odor-receptor neurons.If all mammals have these genes,why do some mammals have a better sense of smell than others do?

A)Some of the genes actively transcribing receptor proteins in some species are completely absent in other species.
B)Some of the genes may have been mutated and rendered inactive in some species but not in others.
C)Some species,particularly humans,rely much less on odor detection for survival;thus,the genes have mutated to encode proteins that aid in other senses,such as sight.
D)Some species of mammals have a larger set of "basic odors" than other species.