Vertebrate Animals

What regulates all types of behavior?

The nervous system

What are some animals that lack nervous systems?

Sea sponges and some species of aquatic worms

What are neurons?

The cells that make up the nervous system and are responsible for the transmission of electrical impulses

What mediates the electrical impulses neurons send out?

Neurotransmitters

What are neurotransmitters?

Chemical molecules released by neurons

What are nerves?

Collections of neurons that extend outward from the central nervous system

Neurons can transmit information in….

Milliseconds

What sizes can neurons range from?

millimeters to meters

What is sensation?

The physical detection of stimuli

What animal group lacks the ability to smell?

Toothed whales

Sharks navigate the world primarily through….

Their sense of smell

What is the term for humans who have additional sensory nerves allowing them to detect color not seen by most?

Tetrachromats

What is perception?

The process of converting sensation from different cells to interpret and react to the stimuli via behavior

What cells make up rods and cones?

Neurons

What family do hydras belong to?

Cnidarians

What family do starfish belong to

Echinoderms

What family do flatworms belong to?

Planarian

What family do octopus belong to?

Mollusk

What type of nervous system does a hydra have?

A nerve net

How is the nervous system of a starfish set up?

A “nerve ring” in the center and radial nerves in the arms

What makes up the nervous system of a flatworm?

Eyespot, central ganglia (brain), nerve cords, and transverse nerves

What makes up the nervous system of a bee?

Central ganglia (brain) and segmental ganglia

What are ganglia?

Clusters of nerves that act like a central nervous systems

What animal has the most complex nervous system of all invertebrates?

Octopus

Do octopus have a brain or ganglia?

Both

When did the vertebrate nervous system evolve?

Around 500 million years ago

What is a spinal column?

A series of bones along the animal’s back

What does the spinal cord do?

Transmits sensory information from the body to the brain and motor commands from the brain to the muscles

What are the two types of peripheal nervous systems?

Autonomic and somatic nervous systems

What are the two main functions of the somatic nervous system?

To receive sensory input and control movement

What are somatosensory neurons?

Neuron receptors that detect a certain sensation

What is the end of a nerve called?

Axon