Chapter 13

Co-ordination and response

Key Words:
Stimuli:
Change in the organisms environment which is sensed by special cells
called neurons or receptors. Eg. Sensory receptors or sensory neuron
Sensed Information is passed to the effectors. Effectors are muscles or
glands
Involuntary actions: Not under conscious control, because the impulses are
transmitted faster, without thinking. Eg. Blinking of eyes
Voluntary action: Is something that you do consciously eg. Reading book
Synapse: A junction between tow nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across
which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter
Gravitropism: - A response in which a plant grows towards or away from gravity
Phototropism: - A response in which a plant grows towards or away from the
direction from which light is coming

Co-ordination is between the effectors and receptors

There are two ways of sending information from receptors to effectors
Nervous system
Endocrine system
There are two organ system which continuously work to detect and respond to
stimuli
Nervous system: Impulses passed through nerves at a faster rate and the
impulses are electrical impulses
Endocrine system: the impulses are chemicals (Hormones) carried through
the blood but transmitted slowly (hormones secreted in to blood directly)
CNS: Brain and spinal cord (orders other part of the body to perform
certain job)
PNS: Nerves and receptors- Main job is to detect stimuli and send impulses
to CNS according to stimuli
Neurons: (Nerve cells) Neurons act as wires to transmit electrical impulses
all over the body. Bundle of neurons is called nerve

There are three types of neurons:

Sensory Neuron: Take electrical impulses from sensory receptors
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 Relay Neuron: Located

at the CNS, Take impulse from

sensory

neuron to motor
neuron and

even
Motor neuron:

send to brain
transmit electrical impulses from CNS

to effectors.

Neurons have
three basic parts

like specialized

cells.
Nucleus ,
Cytoplasm , Cell Membrane
In the neuron they long thin fibers stretching from the cell body.
Dendrons/Dentrites (Short fibers): Pick nerve impulses from other neuron
to the cell body then passed it to the axon.

Axon:
Its the longest fiber one meter long, Axon passes impulses to other neuron.
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Axon is covered with Myelin Sheath this is made of fat and proteins.
Insulates nerve fibre.
Carry these impulses much faster.

Reflex Arc :

The pathway along which the nerve impulses passes.

Sensory neuron.
Relay neuron.
Motor neuron.

Reflex action:
Hand touches heat.
Sensory receptor senses.
Send electrical impulses through sensory neuron.
Relay neuron.
Relay neuron passes impulses to motor neurons and to the brain.

The Motor neuron takes the impulses to the effectors

Reflex action: Voluntary and Involuntary

Involuntary actions, not under conscious control, because the impulses are
transmitted faster, without thinking. Eg. Blinking of eyes
Voluntary action is something that you do consciously eg. Reading book

Synapses:

Junction between two nerve cells where

impulses pass by

diffusion

Inside a sensory neuron an axon contain hundreds of tiny vacuoles

These contain chemical substances called neurotransmitter

When an impulse arrives along the axon of the sensory neuron

It causes the vesicle to move to the membrane and empty their content to synaptic
cleft
Neurotransmitter quickly diffuses across the tiny gap
Attaches the receptor molecules in the cell membrane of relay neuron
Neurotransmitter binds to the receptors
Triggers the nerve impulses in the relay neuron
Till it reaches the next synapse
Similar process across to transmit the impulse to the motor neuron

Synaptic cleft:
In the reflex arc the three neurons involved in it is not connected with each other
this gap between them are called as synaptic cleft

Coand

ordination
response in plants
Plants
have the

ability to

detect
stimulus

Respond

(Tropism)

By growing or bending
In the direction or away from the direction
Phototropism:
Response of a plant to grow towards or away from light
Geotropism/Gravitropism:
Response of a plant to grow toward or away from gravity
Towards the direction of stimulus positive response
Away from the direction of stimulus Negative response
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Auxin:
Tropisms are controlled by a chemical called Auxin
Plant Hormone
Produced at the tip of the shoot
Diffuses downwards

Role in phototropism:
When sun shines on the right
side of the plant shoot
Auxin deposits on the opposite side (Left side)
Makes the cells on the left side to grow faster than the right side
The shoot will bend towards the sun light
Role in Geotropism/Gravitropism:
Auxin settles at the end of the
root
Dose not allow the tip of the root
grow longer
Allows the cells at the middle of
the root grow faster
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This pushes the root deeper to the soil

Root gets longer
Grows in the direction of gravitational pull
Roots:
Positive geotropism/gravitropism
Negative phototropism
Shoot:
Positive phototropism
Negative geotropism
Experiment: 1
1. Tip of coleoptiles is cut and replaced
Still grows towards the light
Auxin diffuses downwards
2. Tip of coleoptiles is cut and separated by a piece of agar
Still grows towards light
Auxin diffuses downwards
3. Tip of coleoptiles is cut and separated by a piece of Mica

Dose not grows towards

light
Auxin cannot diffuse through

mica

Result: The response to light is

caused by diffusion of
substance made at the tip

Experiment: 2 Response to
gravity in a coleus shoot
The stem is kept in horizontal position in the dark
Auxin tends to collect on the lower side of the stem
This causes faster growth
Curves up away from gravity
Because there is no light

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