Information Processing in Animals

Even when it is cold outside, the human body maintains an internal temperature of 37 °C. Which term describes the maintenance of a stable internal condition? 

• mitosis
• homeostasis
• endocytosis
• photosynthesis

A rat approaches a piece of rotting fruit, smells it, takes a small bite, and then runs away. Which statement best explains the reason for the rat’s behavior? 

• The rat runs away from the fruit to process the new sensory information.
• Sensory receptors in the rat’s whiskers respond to input about the texture of the fruit.
•                 The rat’s chemical receptors detect chemicals in the fruit that alert the rat to possible danger.
• Information gathered by the rat’s auditory receptors signal that the environment around the fruit is not safe.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

Which of the following is an example of how the need to maintain homeostasis can cause an organism to change its behavior? 

• A bear hibernates during the winter
• A tree loses its leaves in the winter.
• A human shivers when exposed to cold weather.
• Organisms do not change their behavior to maintain homeostasis.

The diagram shows several parts of a human eye. Which statement best describes how sensory receptors in the eye gather information to be processed by the brain? 

• The iris controls the amount of light entering the eye.
• The lens transmits impulses from the optic nerve to the brain.
• The cornea bends incoming light, which is then focused by the lens.
• Rod and cone cells in the retina detect light and produce nerve signals.

What are two distinct ways an organism can respond to changes in the environment? 

• physically and behaviorally
• through homeostasis and diffusion
• behaviorally and through migration
• physically and through homeostasis

This diagram shows the steps involved when chemical receptors in the nose detect different scents. Which statement describes the next two steps in the process? 

• Nerves pass the signal to the brain, where it is processed.
• The scent is carried by red blood cells to the brain in blood
• Hormones carry the scent through the body to be interpreted
• If the scent is familiar, it causes a memory to become activated.

A group of students is investigating memory. The students performed an experiment in which they showed letters on a screen to participants, and afterward asked participants to recall which letters they saw. Next, they showed the participants the letters and, at the same time, pronounced the sound that the letter represents. Which prediction and explanation are most likely to be correct? 

• The participants would remember the most letters during the first trial since their memory was fresh.
• The participants would remember more letters during the first trial because the sound interferes with the ability to form memory.
• The participants would remember more letters while hearing the letter pronounced because information was received in more than one way.
• The participants would remember more letters while hearing the letter pronounced because sound input becomes memory faster than visual input does.

One of the characteristics of living things is that they respond to external changes in their environment so that their internal environment stays as stable as possible. Name an environmental change that an animal must respond to in order to keep a stable internal environment. 

• birds have feathers
• the environments gets very cold or very hot
• an earthquake happens
• pollution

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

Explain what might happen to an organism if it could not adapt to an external change.

• It will have offspring that adapt
• It will die
• It will attack other animals
• It will seek out new life and new civilizations

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-4

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Sensory receptors help an animal gather information about its environment. Which of the following are important sensory receptors to humans?

• hair
• skin
• armpits
• cells