Irritability is the ability of an organism or individual tissues to respond to the environment. It is also the ability of a muscle to contract in response to stretch. Excitability refers to the property of a cell that allows it to respond to irritation or stimulation, such as the ability of nerve or muscle cells to respond to an electrical stimulus.
The most important biological property
Irritability is a property of tissues in biology that can perceive internal or external interference and respond to it by going into an excited state. Such tissues are called excitable and have a certain number of characteristic qualities. These include the following:
1. Irritability. This is when cells, tissues and organs are capable of responding to the intervention of certain stimuli - both external and internal.
2. Excitability. This is such a quality of animal or plant cells, in which it becomes possible to change the state of rest to the state of physiologicalbody activity.
3. Conductivity. This is the ability to spread excitatory reactions. It depends on the structure of the fabric and its functional features.
4. Memory is responsible for fixing the ongoing changes at the molecular level with the introduction of changes in the genetic code. This quality makes it possible to predict the behavior of the organism in response to repeated interventions.
Irritability: definition and description
What is irritability? Is this property of the body the norm, or is it rather a state of painful excitability and excessive sensitivity of an organ or part of the body? Natural susceptibility is characteristic of all living organisms, tissues and cells that, under the influence of certain stimuli, react in a certain way. In physiology, irritability is the property of a nervous, muscular or other tissue to respond to stimuli. The ability to respond to changes in the physical or biological environment is a property of all life on Earth. Examples are the following: the movement of plants towards the light, the contraction and expansion of the pupil due to changes in light intensity, and so on.
Etymology of the concept
The term comes from the Latin irritabilitas. Irritability is a reaction of excitation to certain external factors. This term is used to describe physiological reactions to stimuli, as well as pathological manifestations associated with excessive sensitivity. This concept is notshould be confused with irritability.
This property can be demonstrated in behavioral responses to environmental, situational, sociological and emotional stimuli and manifest itself in uncontrollable anger, anger and feelings of frustration. As a rule, this quality is inherent only in humans. Irritability is a property of all living things, including flora and fauna.
Irritability and adaptation
All living organisms have such a property as irritability. This is the body's ability to perceive and respond to certain stimuli, which can have both positive and negative effects. The plant usually leans in the direction where there is more sunlight. Feeling warm, a person can remove their hand from the hot stove.
Closely related to the concept of "irritability" is adaptation, which is responsible for changes in the body in response to external influences. For example, human skin darkens when exposed to intense sunlight. The term "adaptation" is often used to describe certain changes in populations that usually cannot be passed on to offspring and therefore are not evolutionarily significant. Moreover, these changes are usually reversible. For example, sunburn will gradually disappear if the individual stops being in the sun. Environmental conditions can also cause long-term changes in the genetic makeup of a population that are already irreversible in some individuals.organisms.
Basic concepts
Irritability is the ability of living organisms to respond in a certain way to external influences by changing their form and some functions. In the role of stimuli are those environmental factors that can cause a response. In the course of evolutionary development, tissues were formed that have an increased level of sensitivity due to the presence of special receptors in the cells. Such susceptible tissues include nervous, muscular and glandular tissue.
Relationship between irritability and excitability
Irritability and excitability are inextricably linked. Excitability is such a property of highly organized tissues as a reaction to external influences by changing physiological qualities. The nervous system will come first in terms of excitability, followed by muscles and glands.
Types of irritants
Distinguish between external and internal methods of intervention. External include:
- Physical (mechanical, thermal, radiation and sound). Examples are sound, light, electricity.
- Chemical (acids, alkalis, poisons, drugs).
- Biological (bacteria, viruses, etc.). An irritant can also be considered food and an individual of the opposite sex.
- Social (for people, these can be ordinary words).
As for the internal, here we are talking about substances that are produced by the body itself. It can be hormones and other biologicallyactive ingredients. Three groups are distinguished according to the strength of the impact: subthreshold - those that may not cause a response, threshold - interventions of moderate intensity - and superthreshold, causing the strongest reaction.
