Chapter 2: Neurobiology and Endocrinology for Animal Behaviorists

What is the role of the neural system play in behavior?

-Coordinating and regulating all behaviors

What does the role of the physiology system play in behavior?

-Internal information that can lead to different behavior

-Influences internal states, information

What does the sensory system play in behavior?

-Receiving and processing information from the environment

What does the endocrine system play a role in behavior?

-Produces hormones

What does the central nervous system do?

-Organize information

Explain the structure of the neurons

Soma: -Cell body and has a nucleus

Dendrites: -Interface with other nerve cells, organs, or tissues

Axon: -Signal carrying extension (carries nervous signal)

Myelin: -Outer material that protects axon

Synapse: -Connects to other neurons

Explain what neurons do

-Carry impulses

-Form networks

Explain action potential and resting potential

Action: -Nerve impulse

Resting: -Nerve cell at rest

Explain the two types of glial cells and what they do

Astrocytes: -Metabolic support of neurons in CNS in vertebrates

Schwann Cells: - Support neurons in CNS and extent to muscles

Explain what neurotransmitters are and what they do

-Chemical messengers of the nervous system

-Transmits signals between nerve cells or to other cells

Give examples of neurotransmitters and what their function is?

Dopamine: -Helps regulate movement and attention

Acetylcholine: -Learning and remembering

Serotonin: -Learning memory and reward happiness

What does Cephalization mean

-” Concentration of elements of the nervous system”

-Brain is an example

Give example of animals that have less cephalization

-Cnidarians and Echinoderms

Give example of animals that have more cephalization

-Mollusks, Arthropods, and Vertebrates

Explain the brain and how it can vary in complexity

-Receives information

-Serves as command center

-Influenced by factors like body size, experiences, complex neural networks

-Size of olfactory bulb depends on how much the organism relies on that part

What are the 3 major groups that have evolved highly sophisticated brains?

-Mollusks

-Arthropods

-Vertebrates

What are ganglion?

-Collection of nerves

Explain the function of hormones

-Messenger molecules that communicate among organs and tissues

Explain primers and releases

Primers: -Hormones that have effect over long periods of time

Releases: -Have effects over short periods of time

Explain steroids and give example

-Testosterone and Estrogen

-Enter cells and acts differently which can impact gene expression

Explain peptides and give example

-Relatively short chains of amino acids (Triggers receptors on cell membrane) (more fragile than steriods)

-insulin

Explain nonapeptides and give example

-Peptide chains consisting of 9 amino acids

-Oxytocin

Explain the role of JH in invertebrates

-Nonsteriodal terpenoid and product of a gland in insects

-Effects a variety of behaviors, reproduction, mating, parental, worker behaviors

Explain the role of ecdysone in invertebrates

-Steroid that plays roles in growth and development

-Primarily known for regulating exoskeleton molting

Explain the role of PTTH in invertebrates

-Stimulates prothoracic glands to secrete ecdysone

Which organisms would you find bag cells and their role?

-Mollusks

-Produces their hormones

Explain some effects that excess steroids can have in the environment

-Impacted the morphology and different behaviors in some fish

-Rarely nested

What do transducers do?

-Convert energy from one form to another

What is the process that energy goes through from being sensed to the behavioral response?

External energy causes changes in sensory receptors→ Energy is sent along→ body process them

Explain the differences in color perception between different organisms

-Humans perceive color from wavelengths off a surface

-Animals can see ultraviolet and infrared spectra

Explain 3 general principles the vision of shapes and images

1) Respond to shapes and spatial relationship of shapes

2) Edges of shapes are emphasized

Explain how the physical medium can alter sound and which mediums do you need more energy to travel and why

-Speed of sound depends on the density of the medium

-Takes more energy to make water vibrate than air and a lot more energy to make soil vibrate

Explain which mediums sounds travels faster and why

-Sound is faster in water than air, and even faster in soil bc the particles are a lot closer and compact to bounce off of

Explain ways that sound can be dissipated and distorted

Dissipation: -Is the loss of energy over distance

-As the sound dissipates, losing amount of energy to go farther and farther in distance

Distortion: -Is due to reflecting or bouncing off an object in different mediums

Explain the differences between ultra and infrasound

Ultrasound: -Very high frequency, short wavelengths

-Seen in navigation and social context like bats

Infrasound: -Lower wavelengths and vibration

-Typically ground vibrations

-Receivers must be larger in scale (elephants)

Explain how chemoreception works in olfactory and taste receptors

-Chemical molecules dissolve into fluid that covers a membrane, and molecules come into contact with appropriate sensory receptor

-Sense of smell and taste

What are the different tastes?

-Meat (Umomi)

-Sweet

(Guides to nutrients)

-Bitter

-Sour

(Evolve to help to stay away from different toxins)

-Salt

(Maintains homiostatus)

Where you can find chemo sensors in invertebrates and vertebrates

Vertebrates: -Usually concentrated in the upper part of the respiratory system

-Is divided among tongue, vomeronasal organs, and olfactory epithelium

Invertebrates: -Can occur anywhere on the surface

-Can be centralized on certain parts like the antenna

Do you know why thermal perception is important?

-Helps drive aspects of habitat choice, behavioral regulation, and avoidance of dangerous conditions

What receptors are primary transducers for heat and cold?

-Transient Receptor Potential TRP Channel Receptors

Where do you find the mechanoreceptors distributed on invertebrates and vertebrates?

Vertebrates: -Can act as pressure points

-Whiskers

Invertebrates: -Small hair like receptors

-Can be found all over the body but also be found on antennas

What kind of information mechanoreceptors can give an animal?

-Helps detect food, predators, and environmental features

-Helpful when other senses cannot be used

-Sharks will have on snout

What are the two types of receptors in electroeception?

Ampullary Receptors: -Canals on surface of the fish that has nerve cells in them

Tuberous Receptors: -Designed to reduce the loss of incoming signals

What types of organism commonly use electroception?

-Aquatic organisms bc water is a good electrical conductor

What types of behaviors that organisms use magnetoreception for give an example of organisms that use this sense

-Used to help with orientation movement and navigation

-Turtles, Salmon, Migratory Birds, Ants, Bees, Bacteria