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Comparing Animal Nervous Systems

Comparing Animal Nervous Systems. Anne Perrella MCB-HHMI Harvard University. How do animal nervous systems differ?. Compare them Ask: What does a nervous system need to do? How does a particular animal’s nervous system do this?. Nervous System. Input Sensory neurons Decision-making

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Comparing Animal Nervous Systems

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  1. Comparing Animal Nervous Systems Anne Perrella MCB-HHMI Harvard University

  2. How do animal nervous systems differ? • Compare them • Ask: • What does a nervous system need to do? • How does a particular animal’s nervous system do this?

  3. Nervous System • Input • Sensory neurons • Decision-making • Interneurons • Output • Motor neurons

  4. What kinds of animals are there? • Nine “traditional” taxonomic phyla: • Porifera - sponges • Cnidaria - jellyfish • Platyhelminthes - flatworms • Nematoda - roundworms • Annelida - segmented worms • Arthropoda - crustaceans, arachnids, insects • Mollusca - squid, etc. • Echinodermata - starfish, sea urchins • Chordata - includes vertebrates

  5. What to ask about each phylum? • What kinds of sensory input? • What kinds of decision making? • What kinds of response?

  6. What kinds of sensory input? • Light - photons • Chemicals - (food/poison/mate) molecules • Sound/touch - pressure waves

  7. Light: • Photoreceptors (lightbulb wingding) • Simple light detectors: eye-cups ocellli omatidia eyes

  8. Chemicals: • Chemoreceptors • Food - (webding banana) • Poison - (webding bomb) • Mate - (webding heart)

  9. Chemicals: • Chemoreceptors • Simpler animals: localized in several places on animal’s surface • More complex animals: concentrated at head • (e.g. smell/taste @ nose/mouth)

  10. Sound/touch: • Pressure waves • Air - moving air molecules • Water - moving water molecules • Touch - physical contact (predator/prey/mate)

  11. Sound/touch • Mechanoreceptors (hand/speaker wingdings) • Usually contain cilia that trigger when moved • Simpler animals: • Distributed throughout surface • More complex animals: • Surface (e.g. skin) • Localized (e.g. lateral line, ears)

  12. Decision making: • Choosing an appropriate response: • E.g. fight/flight/mating/homeostasis • Requires interneurons: • Direct the sensory input to the output

  13. Interneurons • Simpler animals - not present • More complex animals: • Central nervous system: • Brain - located at the front (head) • Spinal cord - runs down the center, branches off where needed

  14. Rapid Response • Motor neurons: • Trigger response - (usu. Movement)

  15. For each animal: • Identify the sensory neurons: • Photoreceptors (lightbulb wingding) • Chemoreceptors (banana/bomb/heart wingding) • Mechanoreceptors (hand/speaker wingdings)

  16. Common name: moon jellyfish • Species: Aurelia • Phylum: Cnidaria

  17. Common name: moon jellyfish • Species: Aurelia • Phylum: Cnidaria

  18. Common name: planarian • Species: dugesia • Phylum: platyhelminthes

  19. Common name: planarian • Species: dugesia • Phylum: platyhelminthes

  20. Common name: C. elegans (a roundworm) • Species: C. elegans • Phylum: Nematoda

  21. Common name: C. elegans (a roundworm) • Species: C. elegans • Phylum: Nematoda

  22. Common name: Earthworm • Species: Lumbricus • Phylum: Annelida

  23. Common name: Earthworm • Species: Lumbricus • Phylum: Annelida

  24. Common name: Crayfish • Species: Procambarus • Phylum: Arthropoda (crustaceans)

  25. Common name: Crayfish • Species: Procambarus • Phylum: Arthropoda (crustaceans)

  26. Common name: Garden spider • Species: Argiope • Phylum: Arthropoda (arachnida)

  27. Common name: Garden spider • Species: Argiope • Phylum: Arthropoda (arachnida)

  28. Common name: Garden spider • Species: Argiope • Phylum: Arthropoda (arachnida)

  29. Common name: Garden spider • Species: Argiope • Phylum: Arthropoda (arachnida)

  30. Common name: Garden spider • Species: Argiope • Phylum: Arthropoda (arachnida)

  31. Common name: Garden spider • Species: Argiope • Phylum: Arthropoda (arachnida)

  32. Common name: grasshopper • Species: romalea • Phylum: Arthropoda (insects)

  33. Common name: grasshopper • Species: romalea • Phylum: Arthropoda (insects)

  34. Common name: Squid • Species: Lolliguncula • Phylum: Mollusca

  35. Common name: Squid • Species: Lolliguncula • Phylum: Mollusca

  36. Common name: Starfish • Species: Asterias • Phylum: Echinodermata

  37. Common name: Starfish • Species: Asterias • Phylum: Echinodermata

  38. Common name: Frog • Species: Rana pipiens • Phylum: Chordata

  39. Common name: Frog • Species: Rana pipiens • Phylum: Chordata

  40. For further reading: • Campbell Biology, 6th edition (2002) • Ch. 33 Invertebrates (p.646-77) • Ch. 34 Vertebrate Evolution and Diversity (p.678-717) • Ch. 48 Nervous Systems (p.1038-51) • Ch. 49 Sensory and Motor Mechanisms (p.1057-84) • Invertebrate Zoology, a Functional Evolutionary Approach, 7th ed. (2004) Ruppert EE, Fox RS, Barnes RB. Brooks Cole Thomson, 963 pp.

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