Final Roadmap and Understanding Perception

Week 16 Lessons:
- Lesson 28: Perception - Is it Just for Animals?
- Lesson 29: Final Course Review
Week 17: Finals Week
  - Final Exam:
    - Format: Online via Canvas (100 points)
    - Completion Window:
      - May 12th, 8 am – May 15th, no later than 2 pm
    - Duration: 2 hours to complete, must be completed in a single sitting
  - Resources: Single page, 8 ½ x 11 inch, front only, “Memory Aid” allowed
  - Additional Task: Picture must be submitted with the Final Exam - Worth 1 point
  - Grading Policy:
    - Lowest Exam score and lowest Unit Quiz score will be dropped
    - Optional Final Exam if all 4 Unit Exams and all Unit Quizzes were completed and satisfactory grade achieved
    - If choosing to make the Final Exam optional, students must open the exam, answer the first question, and submit to confirm this choice

Describe how a neuron transmits information (Refer to Figure 48.1, lower diagram)
Describe the steps linking sensory stimuli to animal activity
List the 5 categories of sensory receptors in humans
Describe how each category of sensory receptor initiates a nerve impulse
Explain signal transduction pathways
Describe senses not present in humans but present in other organisms
Describe how plants use chemicals to communicate
Describe the ways that plants respond to light, gravity, mechanical stimuli, and environmental stressors

Signal: A stimulus transmitted from one organism to another
Communication: Involves both the transmission and reception of signals between animals
- Categories include: Visual, Chemical (Pheromones), Touch

Components of a Neuron:
  - Dendrites
  - Nucleus
  - Axon (covered by Myelin Sheath in longer neurons)
  - Synaptic terminal; it transmits information via synapses
Function:
  - Receives information, transmits it along the axon, and sends the information to other cells.
  - The action potential is a nerve impulse that travels down the axon and is an electrical event due to voltage differences inside and outside the membrane.
  - Action potentials carry binary “information” to the brain or body tissues and always proceed in a single direction from the Cell Body to Terminal Ends.

Ion channels open and close along the axon, allowing the movement of charged ions (Na+ and K+) across the cell membrane.
Myelin Sheath:
- Speeds up signal transmission between neurons, facilitating rapid signal transmission.

Adrenaline:
- Function: Fight or flight neurotransmitter, increases heart rate and blood flow.
Noradrenaline:
- Function: Concentration neurotransmitter.
Dopamine:
- Function: Pleasure neurotransmitter associated with movement and motivation.
Serotonin:
- Function: Mood neurotransmitter contributing to feelings of well-being.
GABA:
- Function: Calming neurotransmitter, reduces anxiety and improves focus.
Acetylcholine:
- Function: Learning neurotransmitter, associated with attention and awakening.
Glutamate:
- Function: Memory neurotransmitter, significant in well-being and cognitive functions.
Endorphins:
- Function: Euphoria neurotransmitters released during exercise and other pleasurable activities, reducing pain.

Action potentials lead to neurotransmitter release at synapses.
Neurotransmitter receptors on the next neuron decide to promote or inhibit a new action potential.

Types:
  1. Mechanoreceptors (respond to sound, touch)
  2. Electromagnetic receptors (respond to light, electricity)
  3. Thermoreceptors (respond to temperature changes)
  4. Chemoreceptors (respond to solutes, tastes, smells)
  5. Pain receptors (noxious chemicals, extreme temperatures)
Transmission Process:
- Sensory receptors respond to specific stimuli by sending signals to the central nervous system.
- The central nervous system processes these signals leading to motor output.

Some animals possess unique senses:
- Beluga whales can sense the Earth's magnetic field.
- Rattlesnakes can detect infrared radiation from warm objects using specialized heat-sensing organs.
Example of Electromagnetic Receptors: In rattlesnakes, specialized receptors detect infrared radiation emitted from warm prey, aiding in hunting strategies.

Plants release chemicals in response to environmental stimuli such as light, gravity, and mechanical stress.
They can recruit predatory animals to help defend against herbivores.
Example: If leaves are damaged by caterpillars, plants might release compounds that attract wasps, which parasitize the caterpillars.

Reception:
- External stimulus received by specific receptors in the plant.
Transduction:
- Signal pathways activated leading to internal cellular responses.
Response:
- Changes in gene expression leading to the production of proteins that facilitate responses such as de-etiolation (turning green).

Plants can sense various stimuli like:
  - Light
  - Heat or cold stress
  - Internal chemical signals
  - Touch (wind or objects)
  - Wounding (herbivory)
  - Infection (pathogens)
  - Gravity
Each of these signals prompts various physiological changes allowing the plant to adapt.

Levels of Defense Against Herbivores:
   - Organismal Level
   - Population Level
   - Community Level
Mechanisms:
- Recruitment of predatory animals using specific volatile organic compounds released when plants are damaged by herbivores.

Examples of Letter Grade Conversion:
   - A: 93% + (679 points)
   - B: 83% - 86.99% (606 points)    - C: 73% - 76.99% (533 points)
   - D: 63% - 66.99% (460 points)
   - F: Below 60
Extra credit opportunities can impact final grades as well.

Confirmation of graduation status reflects accurate grading practices within the portal managed by the instructor.
Final grades loaded into the UCCS Portal supersede any Canvas scores.

Prepare for Lesson 29: Final Course Review
Revisit key concepts outlined for final exam readiness to ensure comprehensive understanding and performance.