SENSORY PERCEPTION

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SENSORY PERCEPTION
sound ear hair cells via cochlear nerve au
ditory cortex
stimulus sense organ sensory cell nerve
transmission central nervous sytem region
light eye retina via optic nerve visual
cortex
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judging direction and distance
for direction
sense organ itself can be directional comparison
between paired organs (stereo) comparisons
over space/time
for distance
usually comparison between paired organs comparis
ons over space/time
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chemical sensing (taste, smell and other chemical
reception)
finding mates, finding food, avoiding
predation very slow form of communication compar
ed to other animals, humans sense of smell is
pretty rudimentary catfish have "taste buds"
all over their body, are sensitive to different
amino acids at concentrations up to 10-11
M! spiny lobsters (Panulirus) have a similar
sensitivity to taurine male polyphemus moth
(Antheraea polyphemus) antenna 70,000 sense
organs
http//csce.unl.edu/scotth/samantha/moths-butterf
lies.html
Joan Ausmus
Fabio Ehrengruber
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MHC genotype, pheromones and the pill
- mice prefer to mate with other mice that have a
different set of MHC alleles than they do (Lewis
Thomas, 1974) - males and females humans were
asked to smell shirts that had been worn for two
days by women or men, and asked to describe the
smell. Both women and men were more attracted
to the odor of t-shirts whose wearers had
different MHC alleles than they do - EXCEPT
women on the pill (oral contraceptive), who
preferred t-shirts from men with similar MHC
alleles!
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MHC How different antibodies are made
...by shuffling around bits of DNA in a
region of the genome called the "major
histocompata- bility complex" (MHC)
this is one of the most variable regions of the
human genome, and this variability is thought to
be important for good immune responses
http//press2.nci.nih.gov/sciencebehind/immune/
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other senses not found in humans???
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wavelength sensitivity
different animals (different eyes) differ in
their ability to detect certain wavelengths of
light for example, humans can only see in the
so-called "visible" spectrum insects can detect
ultraviolet wavelengths
visible light UV light
from K. Schmidt-Nielsen Animal Physiology (1997).
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effects of US navy sonar on whales
humpback whales increased their song duration
by an average of 29 in response to LFA (low
frequency active) sonar
these songs are important in
reproductive behavior
Antonio Mignucci
the US Navy has admitted that in March 2000, its
use of high intensity sonar caused the deaths
of 16 minke and beaked whales
researchers believe this is an under-estimation
dead whales had bleeding in the inner
ears
Patrick J. O. Miller, Nicoletta Biassoni, Amy
Samuels Peter L. Tyack (2000) Nature 405, 903
Mark Schrope (2002) Nature 415, 106