Animals Physical Responses to External Stimuli

Bellwork Tell me 3 examples for each structure: Defense- Movement- Obtaining Resources-

Objective & EQ How do environmental stimuli cause physical responses in animals? Students will explain how environmental stimuli cause physical responses in animals (including shedding, blinking, shivering, sweating, panting, and food gathering)

Explore Balled up paper –Conclusions: Wet paper towel –Conclusions:

Illustrate Take a piece of blank paper. Draw 6 sections on the paper and illustrate each response to stimuli. Sweating Shivering Shedding Food Gathering Panting Blinking

Physical Responses to External Stimuli Physical responses are caused by external stimuli. Animals respond to temperature and stimuli changes in their environments.

Responses to Temperature Changes:

Shedding Allows animals to maintain internal temperature Cold Weather: form thick coats of fur or feathers for insulation Hot Weather: shed extra covering

Sweating Main way to get rid of excess body heat Sweat evaporating from skin’s surface cools animal

Panting Heavy breathing Allows animals to get rid of excess body heat Increases air flow which increases evaporation from an animal’s mouth and lungs Cools animals

Shivering Warms mammals Increases heat production Involuntary response to a decrease in temperature Increases rate at which energy is transformed to heat

Responses to Changes in Environmental Stimuli:

Blinking Automatic response to protect eyes Protects eye from being injured by foreign objects Allows some animals to keep eyes covered with a tear film Purpose of tear film: protect eye from drying out and from infection

Food Gathering Process of finding food by hunting, fishing, or gathering berries, seeds, and roots Can be seasonal

Storing Food Animals gather and store for winter Examples: squirrels, mice, beavers

Storing Nutrition as Fat Animals overeat and reduce physical activity to conserve energy during winter or drought Examples: bears, penguins, walruses, chipmunks, ants