Deck 44: Animal Sensory Systems

Question 1

The perceived pitch of a sound depends on ________.

A) which part of the tympanic membrane is being vibrated by sound waves
B) which part of the oval window produces waves in the cochlear fluid
C) which region of the basilar membrane was set in motion
D) whether or not the sound moves the incus, malleus, and stapes
E) whether or not the listener has had training in music

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Refer to the accompanying diagram of the ear to answer the question(s) below.
The structure involved in equalizing the pressure between the ear and the atmosphere is represented by which number?

A) 7
B) 1
C) 8
D) 9
E) 10

Answer 2

C

Question 3

As you pull on a clean shirt, your skin feels the abrasion of rough fabric. Which type of sensory receptor is involved in this sensation?

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

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Auditory transduction involves a change in membrane potential for which membrane?

A) tectorial membrane
B) tympanic membrane
C) round-window membrane
D) hair cell membrane
E) basilar membrane

Question 5

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 6

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

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

Question 7

The cochlea is an organ of auditory transduction that contains ________.

A) fluid and cells that can undergo mechanosensory transduction
B) air and cells that produce wax
C) air and small bones that vibrate in response to sound waves
D) fluid with stacks of chemosensory cells
E) air and statocysts activated by movement

Question 8

Which of the following sensory receptors is correctly paired with its category?

A) hair cell-mechanoreceptor
B) muscle spindle-electromagnetic receptor
C) taste receptor-mechanoreceptor
D) rod-chemoreceptor
E) olfactory receptor-electromagnetic receptor

Question 9

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 10

The transduction of sound waves into action potentials by the human ear takes place ________.

A) within the tectorial membrane as it is stimulated by the hair cells
B) when hair cells are bent against the tectorial membrane, causing them to depolarize and release neurotransmitter that stimulates sensory neurons
C) as the basilar membrane becomes more permeable to sodium ions and depolarizes, initiating an action potential in a sensory neuron
D) as the basilar membrane vibrates at different frequencies in response to the varying volume of sounds
E) within the middle ear as the vibrations are amplified by the malleus, incus, and stapes

Question 11

Damage to sensory receptor cells would most likely result in ________.
I) confusion of visual and auditory input
II) inaccurate integration of sensory information
III) an inability to detect sensory information

A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
E) I, II, and III

Question 12

The middle ear converts ________.

A) air pressure waves to fluid pressure waves
B) fluid pressure waves to air pressure waves
C) air pressure waves to nerve impulses
D) fluid pressure waves to nerve impulses
E) air pressure waves to hair cell movements

Question 13

The pathway leading to the perception of sound by mammals begins with the ________.

A) hair cells of the organ of Corti, which rests on the basilar membrane, coming in contact with the tectorial membrane
B) hair cells of the organ of Corti, which rests on the tympanic membrane, coming in contact with the tectorial membrane
C) hair cells of the organ of Corti, which rests on the tectorial membrane, coming in contact with the basilar membrane
D) hair cells of the organ of Corti coming in contact with the tectorial membrane as a result of fluid waves in the cochlea causing vibrations in the round window
E) hair cells on the tympanic membrane that stimulate the tectorial membrane neurons, leading to the auditory section of the brain

Question 14

Refer to the accompanying diagram of the ear to answer the question(s) below.
The cochlea is represented by which number?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6
E) 7

Question 15

Mechanoreceptors that react to changes in pressure are part of the ________.

A) human sense of taste
B) pain receptors in birds
C) human sense of smell
D) lateral line systems in fish
E) eyes in arthropods

Question 16

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? The mouse would be ________.

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

Question 17

Sound waves arriving at a listener first strike the ________.

A) tectorial membrane
B) tympanic membrane
C) round-window membrane
D) hair cell membrane
E) basilar membrane

Question 18

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

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

Question 19

Refer to the accompanying diagram of the ear to answer the question(s) below.
Vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window are transmitted by the structures at which numbers?

A) 1, 2, 3, and 4
B) 2, 3, and 4
C) 3 and 4
D) 4
E) 5

Question 20

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

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

Question 21

What would happen if an enzyme inhibitor for the enzyme phosphodiesterase (PDE) 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 listed responses are correct.

Question 22

Animals that can detect ultraviolet (UV) light differ from humans by having ________.

A) larger eyes that can collect more UV light
B) UV-specific opsins that extend their visible light spectrum
C) thicker retinas that can capture UV light more efficiently
D) additional visual sensors to allow detection of different light types

Question 23

The blind spot in the human retina is the location that has the collected axons of ________.

A) ganglion cells
B) bipolar cells
C) primary visual cortex
D) optic chiasma
E) lateral geniculate nuclei

Question 24

Corneal surgery is now routinely performed to change the shape of the cornea and improve vision. This surgery is beneficial because ________.

A) the cornea is responsible for the circulation of nutrients to the eye
B) the cornea is involved in focusing light onto the retina
C) the cornea controls the amount of light entering the eye
D) the cornea regulates the sensitivity of the photoreceptors

Question 25

Elephants hear sounds that are too low for humans to hear. What is the most likely explanation for the difference in sensitivity between humans and elephants?

A) They differ in the arrangement and shape of the ossicles.
B) They differ in the flexibility of the basilar membrane in the cochlea.
C) Elephants have a larger and more flexible tympanic membrane.
D) Elephants have larger

Question 26

What structures would neurobiologists look for if they are interested in determining if an animal can see in color?

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

Question 27

Refer to this diagram of the ear to answer the question(s) below.
Hair cells are found in structures represented by which numbers?

A) 1 and 2
B) 3 and 4
C) 5 and 7
D) 6 and 8
E) 9 and 10

Question 28

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

A) The more acidic the food is, the more depolarization of the sensory receptor occurs.
B) Ascorbic acid binds to sensory receptors on the plasma membrane of taste cells, which leads to the triggering of cellular activity that triggers 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 triggers 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 29

It can be very difficult to select an angle for sneaking up to a grasshopper to catch it because grasshoppers have ________.

A) excellent hearing for detecting predators
B) compound eyes with multiple ommatidia
C) eyes with multiple fovea
D) a camera-like eye with multiple fovea
E) binocular vision

Question 30

Sensory transduction of light in the vertebrate retina is accomplished by ________.

A) ganglion cells
B) amacrine cells
C) bipolar cells
D) horizontal cells
E) rods and cones

Question 31

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 32

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 33

Which of the following would explain why a person was able to hear only high-frequency sounds?

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 these problems could result in inability to detect low-frequency sound.

Question 34

Partial or complete loss of hearing (deafness) can be caused by damage to the ________.
I) axons of the neurons associated with each hair cell that carry information to the brain
II) hair cells (the sensory receptors) in the cochlea
III) tympanic membrane, or eardrum

A) only II
B) only III
C) only I and II
D) only II and III
E) I, II, and III

Question 35

The cochlea ________.
I) amplifies sound vibrations
II) collects sound pressure waves
III) detects the frequency of sounds

A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
E) I, II, and III

Question 36

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) a decrease in the release of neurotransmitter by hair cells
B) an increase in the release of neurotransmitter by hair cells
C) a decrease in the size of action potentials by sensory neurons
D) an increase in the size of action potentials by sensory neurons

Question 37

Light reflecting off an object in the environment is detected by photoreceptors after following which path?

A) lens > cornea > retina > ganglion cell layer > iris
B) cornea > lens > iris > ganglion cell layer > retina
C) retina > ganglion cell layer > lens > iris > cornea
D) cornea > iris > lens > ganglion cell layer > retina

Question 38

Refer to this diagram of the ear to answer the question(s) below.
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 39

During light detection in a photoreceptor, light directly causes what molecular change?

A) inactivation of phosphodiesterase
B) a retinal change from cis to trans conformation
C) increase in cGMP levels
D) increase in Na+ entry into the photoreceptor

Question 40

In the human retina, ________.

A) cone cells can detect color, but rod cells cannot
B) cone cells are more sensitive than rod cells to light
C) cone cells, but not rod cells, have a visual pigment
D) rod cells detect short wavelength UV light
E) rod cells require higher illumination for stimulation than do cone cells

Question 41

External chemical signals that coordinate potential reproductive partners are called ________.

A) hormones
B) pheromones
C) paracrine signals
D) cytokines
E) gametes

Question 42

The ampullae of Lorenzini in sharks are used for ________.

A) mechanoreception
B) thermoreception
C) electroreception
D) magnetoreception
E) photoreception

Question 43

Two students studying physiology taste a known "bitter" 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 44

Pheromone detection in tetrapod vertebrates occurs primarily in which structure?

A) olfactory bulb
B) tongue
C) vomeronasal organ
D) temperature-sensitive pits
E) olfactory epithelium

Question 45

The umami receptor in the sense of taste detects ________.

A) glucose
B) sodium ions
C) potassium ions
D) hydrogen ions
E) the amino acid glutamate

Question 46

Tastes and smells are distinct kinds of environmental information in that ________.

A) neural projections from taste receptors reach different parts of the brain than the neural projections from olfactory receptors
B) the single area of the cerebral cortex that receives smell and taste signals can distinguish tastes and smells by the pattern of action potentials received
C) taste stimulus molecules are airborne, whereas odorant molecules are dissolved in fluids
D) distinguishing taste stimulus molecules requires learning, whereas smell discrimination is an innate process
E) odorants bind to receptor proteins, but none of the tastant stimuli bind to receptors

Question 47

Most mammals have 1000 or more genes that encode receptor proteins on the surface of odor-receptor neurons, so why do some mammals have a better sense of smell than others?

A) Some of the genes actively transcribing receptor proteins in some species are completely absent in other species.
B) Some of the genes that code for receptor proteins 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.

Question 48

Odorant molecules activate sensory neurons by ________.

A) deflecting the cilia of hairs cells, leading to the release of neurotransmitter
B) binding to rhodopsin, leading to a change in cGMP levels
C) passing through ion channels and altering membrane potentials
D) binding to membrane-bound receptor proteins of sensory neurons
E) altering basilar membrane stiffness to shift response by receptor cells

Question 49

Thermoreception allows pit vipers to ________.

A) detect fast-moving endothermic predator species flying overhead
B) detect heat signals from prey species
C) communicate by heat signals between members of the same species
D) stun prey with heat prior to capture
E) follow heat trails of wounded prey

Question 50

Homing pigeons rely on what two senses for navigation?

A) photoreception and electroreception
B) electroreception and magnetoreception
C) magnetoreception and thermoreception
D) thermoreception and chemoreception
E) magnetoreception and photoreception