Communication
Topic 1: The Range of Senses Involved in Communication
Biology in Focus, HSC Course
Glenda Childrawi, Margaret Robson and Stephanie Hollis
DOT Point(s)
 identify the role of receptors in detecting stimuli
 explain that the response to a stimulus involves:
 stimulus
 receptor
 messenger
 effector
 Response
 identify data sources, gather and process information from
secondary sources to identify the range of senses involved in
communication (this is on the handout you’ll get for homework)
Introduction
Communication has been
described as the transfer of
information or messages from
one organism to another.
Besides sending messages, it also
involves receiving messages and
interpreting them correctly. In
this unit we are going to explore
in detail the processes involved
in this.
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Communication and Social Behaviour
 For organisms to pass information between one another, signals
have evolved. When one animal gives out a recognisable signal, it
may influence the response of another individual.
www.guardian.co.uk
Communication and Social Behaviour
 This communication between
‘signaller’ and ‘responder’
may lead to cooperative
interaction between members
of a community, termed:
Social Behaviour.
This is of benefit to the entire
group of animals. Effective
communication enables them to
interact and function more
efficiently.
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Communication and Social Behaviour
Examples are
 interactions between
honeybees when collecting
nectar or pollen
 Warning calls of animals when
threatened by a predator
 Nest building and raising of
young in termite communities
 Social interactions between
humans
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Communication and Social Behaviour
Teamwork is often more successful than individual attempts,
resulting in improved efficiency during hunting, foraging and
defending resources (food and breeding territories) and in
protection and care of offspring. The methods of communication
that an organism develops are closely related to its lifestyle.
stuffpoint.com
Methods of Communication
Sight is a common form of communication. Because light travels in
a straight line and travels extremely fast, visual information is
effective in providing details such as distance and speed.
worthwhiletreasure.wordpress.com
Methods of Communication
In humans, sight includes reading, but also involves interpreting
visual signs such as facial expressions, posture and other forms of
body language. Most human communication relies on symbols, for
example numbers of words that stand for or symbolise
information.
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Methods of Communication
Relying on the spoken and written word means of communication
plays an important part in the cultural development of humans. Its
main advantage is in allowing information to reach those who are
not within range of hearing or sight.
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Methods of Communication
Some features of
communication that distinguish
Homo sapians from other animals
include:
 Speech
 Ability to think abstractly
 To reason
 Fine coordination involved in
using hands to manipulate
tools and writing
implements.
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Methods of Communication
Sound is used by many living things as a form of communication,
but most other animals are unable to produce or detect the wide
range of clear distinctive sounds that humans use.
tx.english-ch.com -
Methods of Communication
Communication in animals other than humans is non-symbolic and
non-verbal. Chimpanzees have been taught to use a limited
amount of sign language and even to speak a few words, but
studies suggest that it is unlikely that animals use symbolic
language in nature.
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Methods of Communication
Most animals that use sound as a form of communication recognise
the actual call or sound made for identification purposes, rather
than it symbolising something.
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Methods of Communication
Communication therefore involves sending
and receiving meaningful messages. For
effective communication, the
communicator needs to have a signalling
device. Humans have a voice box or larynx
for sound production. Some examples of
signalling devices in animals are:
 Bright colouration of body covering such
as feathers in birds to visually attract a
mate
 Glands that secrete chemicals to mark
territories
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Methods of Communication
A recipient must have suitable
sensory structures to detect the
signal. A dog that bares its teeth
and growls would be an
ineffective communicator if the
recipient of such behaviour did
not have eyes to see the
aggressive display and ears to
hear the growl. Sensory
structures that detect changes in
the environment are called
receptors.
creatureclinic.com
Methods of Communication
Animals, including humans, use all five senses to communicate.
Effective methods of communication therefore rely on a
corresponding development of visual, acoustic, tactile and
chemical receptors. In this Unit, we are going to study in detail,
sound and sight.
my-ecoach.com
Stimulus Detection
 A stimulus is a change in the internal or external environment
of an organism. Living organisms detect (pick up or receive)
stimuli using receptors.
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Stimulus Detection
In their most simple form, receptors consist of single cells,
scattered over the body of an organism. However in many
organisms, receptors have become concentrated in particular areas
to form sense organs such as the eye and the ear. The sense organs
contain non-sensory tissue, aside from the special sensory cells that
can monitor stimuli.
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Stimulus Detection
 A response is a reaction in an
organism or its tissue, as a result
of receiving a stimulus. A
pathway exists whereby a
stimulus is detected, a message is
carried to another part of the
body and a response is triggered.
For example, if you touch a hot
stove top with your finger,
receptors in your skin detect the
heat and pain, causing you to
withdraw your hand rapidly.
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Stimulus Detection
The co-ordination of this action requires a link between the
receptors that detect the stimulus and the effectors, the muscles
that respond. This link or co-ordination is carried out by the
nervous system of the body (nerves, brain and spinal cord).
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Stimulus Detection
There are three main types of receptors and people group or
categorise them in different ways. Receptors are commonly
classified according to the type of energy to which they respond.
Photoreceptors:
 Photoreceptors are sensitive to light energy. This is usually energy
in the range of visible light, but may include ultraviolet light in
some species.
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Stimulus Detection
Mechanoreceptors
 Mechanoreceptors respond to
mechanical energy such as
touch, pressure, gravity,
bending or stretching. This is
generally associated with
movement.
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Stimulus Detection
Thermoreceptors
 Thermoreceptors respond to heat or cold. They are particularly
effective in detecting changes in temperature.
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Response to a Stimulus
 The reaction of an organism
to a stimulus is termed the
response.
 The central nervous system
(CNS) triggers the response.
Receptors in the sense organs
are connected to the CNS by
means of nerves. For example,
photoreceptors in the eye
connect to the brain via the
optic nerve.
medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com
Response to a Stimulus
Receptors in the sense organ
change the stimuli received by a
sense organ into electrochemical
signals called nerve impulses. The
impulses travel along nerves,
which act as messengers,
transmitting the electrochemical
‘messages’ from the receptors to
the CNS where they are
processed and interpreted. A
suitable response is then initiated.
today.uconn.edu
Response to a Stimulus
The CNS sends more impulses
along nerves to effector organs
to carry out the response.
Effectors are usually muscles or
glands. In the example of
touching a hot stove top, the
withdrawal of the hand is a
response triggered by the CNS.
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Response to a Stimulus
Another example is the response to a loud knock at the classroom
door (stimulus), which cases students and teacher to look up
(response). In this case, the brain will interpret the information
and send messages to the muscles of the neck and eyes to trigger a
response.
www.guardian.co.uk -
The Stimulus-response Model
This is known as the stimulus-response model and is outlined
below. Draw the top flowchart in your notes
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The Stimulus-response Model
A stimulus, in the form of
information being received by
receptors, is processed by the
brain and spinal cord and a
message is sent via nerves or
messengers to effectors where a
response is brought about. The
result of this behaviour is what
we term animal behaviour.
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Homework
-Students to complete DOT Point 1.3 Range of senses in
communication