BIO1 Vocab M2

L10. Fitness

organisim’s ability to survive and reproduce

L10. Chemotaxis

Movement of organisms in response to chemical stimuli.

L10. Flagella

A whip-like structure that allows a cell to move by rotating either CW or CCW

L10. Sensory pipeline

and processing system that allows organisms to detect and respond to environmental stimuli

1. Stimulus

2. Detection

3. Transmission

4. Processing

5. Responce

L10. Stimulus

Any detectable change in the environment that elicits a response from an organism

L10. Detection

Receptors bind to stimulus

L10. Transmission

signal from receptor is converted and information is passed onward down the pipeline

L10. Processing

The interpretation and integration of sensory information, ultimately leading to a response.

L10. Response

The action taken or change implemented as a result of processing sensory information; cells respond in some way to signal

L10. Cell

smallest unit of life that can preform all of life’s functions

L10. tissue

a group of cells that work together to perform a specific function in an organism.

L10. organ

group of tissues that work together to perform a specific function

L10. organism

a complex structure made up of various systems that can maintain life and reproduce

L10. Umwelt

the unique enviornmental world in which an organism interacts and perceives, influenced by its sensory systems.

L10. Sensory modality

the specific type of sensory input or perception that an organism can experience

L10. Physical stimuli

Information from the environment that can be linearized when processed like sound, pressure, and light for vision

L10. Chemical stimuli

Information from very specific and unique molecules that interact with very specific and unique receptors such as smell, taste, and pheromones.

L10. Dimensional reduction

physical stimuli can be compressed and linearized

L10. Binding affinity

The strength of the interaction between a molecule and its receptor, indicating how tightly a ligand binds to a protein. Higher binding affinity means stronger interactions and longer retention time.

L11. Odor

a smell

L.11 Odorant

an airborne chemical that smells

L.11 Odorant Receptor

protein that binds to a set of odorants (in vertebrates this is GCPR)

L.11 OR gene

gene that codes for an OR receptor

L.11 OR receptor cells

cell that have odorant receptor proteins

L11. Sensory Transduction

process by which sensory stimuli are converted into other signals with info

L11. Photoreceptor

specialized cells in the retina that detect light and convert it into electrical signals for vision

L11. Second Messager

Intracellular molecule in cell that recives signal and distributes message/info to other mlcs in cell for further transduction and processing

L11 Cell membrane

Biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from its external environment. It regulates the movement of substances in and out of the cell.

L11. Transport Protiens

Proteins embedded in the cell membrane that assist in the movement of substances across the membrane

L11. Channel Proteins

A type of transport protein that creates passageways for specific ions or molecules to cross the cell membrane—passive transport

L11. Pump Proteins

A type of transport protein that actively moves ions or molecules across the cell membrane against their concentration gradient, often using ATP—active transport

L11. Co transponders—Proteins

that help transport two different ions or molecules across the cell membrane simultaneously, often coupled to one another

L11. Gated Ion Channel

A type of channel protein that opens or closes in response to specific stimuli, allowing ions to pass through the cell membrane when open.

L11. Ligand

A molecule that binds to a receptor

L11. Receptor

A protein that binds to a ligand, initiating a cellular response by transmitting signals across the cell membrane.

L11. Gravitropisim

The growth response of a plant to gravity, causing it to orient its roots downward and stems upward.

L.11 Meristem

A region of plant tissue that is comprised of actively dividing cells (stem cell niche for plants); where growth happens

L11. G-protien coupled recpetor (GCPRs)

A large family of receptors that sense molecules outside the cell and activate internal signal transduction pathways and cellular responses via a conformational change to recptor

L11. Opsins

A group of light-sensitive proteins found in photoreceptor cells of the retina, which play a crucial role in vision by initiating phototransduction when they absorb light.

L11. Retina

The layer of tissue at the back of the eye that contains photoreceptor cells and is responsible for converting light into neural signals.

L11. Matched filtering

A signal processing technique used in various applications, including vision and communication, to improve the detection of a known signal in the presence of noise by comparing it to a reference template.

L12. Bulk Flow

Organism uses already existing plumbing in body to that is used to transport fluids to also broadcast signals to everything downstream in body (like with hormones).

In plants this is done in the xylem and phloem.

In animals this is done through the blood, and for arthropods through the hemolymph.

In fungi this is done through cytoplasmic streaming (connection of cells by small channels that only cytoplasm can pass through with signal molecules).

L12. Electrochemical signal

movement of information without the movement of molecules; information carried via charge (like an action potential is the cell voltage pressure traveling down the axon)

L12. Charge

molecules can either have a positive or negative charge (there are called ions)

-Na+, K+, Ca+2, Cl-

L12. Current

movement of charged ions across a membrane

L12. Concentration gradient

the difference in the concentration of ions or molecules across a membrane, driving their movement from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration (diffusion)

L12. Electrical gradient

the difference/separation of electric charge across a membrane, affecting the movement of ions.

L12. Electrochemical gradient

combination of the concentration gradient (push A) and the electrical gradient(push B), and these two pushes ca either work against each other or with each other to determine the direction and magnitude of ion movement across the membrane.

L12. Equilibrium

no net movement of ions across a membrane= charge stays the same and concentrations stay the same

L12. Resting Membrane potential

at 70 mV inside the neuron, this is when the neuron is not firing, maintaining a stable electric potential due to the distribution of ions.

L12. Voltage gated channel

a membrane gated channel protien that opens/closes in responce to voltage changes in cell (ex Na+ voltage gated channel)

L12. Depolarization

cell now is getting more positive (membrane potential is getting more positive) due to quick opening of Na+ ion voltage gated channel which gets overall charge closer to threshold and if it passes the threshold, an action potential is triggered

L12. Hyperpolarization

the process where the membrane potential becomes more negative than the resting potential, often due to the efflux of K+ ions because of slower closing of K+ ion channels, making the neuron less likely to fire an action potential.

L12. Neuron

a specialized cell that transmits nerve impulses, consisting of a cell body, dendrites, and an axon, playing a key role in the nervous system.

L12. axon

body of a neuron where an action potential runs down along the length

L12. Action potential

the rapid rise and fall in voltage across a neuronal membrane, triggered by the influx of Na+ ions followed by the efflux of K+ ions, allowing the transmission of electrical signals along the neuron.

L12. Propegation

the process by which an action potential travels along the axon of a neuron

L12. Myelin Sheaths

neural support cells that surround neuron top prevent leakage of K+ ions which speeds up action potential speed

L12. Saltatory conduction

the rapid "jumping" of an action potential (electrical impulse) along a myelinated axon from one uninsulated gap to the next

L12. refractory period

the time following an action potential during which a neuron is unable to fire another action potential (Na+ ion channels cannot be stimulated nor opened during depolarization at this time). This period ensures unidirectional propagation of impulses.

L12. Graded response

When a neuron receives signals from other cells via neurotransmitters or sensory receptors, it produces small local voltage shifts called graded potentials

L12. Ungraded response

An ungraded response (more commonly called an action potential) is a large, all-or-none electrical impulse that propagates down the axon without fading or decreasing in strength. Rather than increasing in amplitude, a stronger stimulus produces a higher frequency of action potentials

—all or note idea

L12. Frequency

the number of action potentials generated by a neuron in a given time period, often related to the strength of the stimulus. Higher frequencies indicate stronger stimuli.

L12. Depolarization threshold

The minimum membrane potential that must be reached for an action potential to occur, typically around -55 mV. When this threshold is reached, voltage-gated sodium channels open, leading to rapid depolarization.