WHAT IS TAXI? TYPES AND MAIN CHARACTERISTICS - BIOLOGY - 2025

The taxismo biology known as motion, reaction or change of orientation made by the animals in response to a stimulus. They are instinctive responses that help the preservation of the species.

Taxi is a response of the nervous system of animals to stimuli. It should not be confused with kinesis, which is also the movement that takes place before a stimulus. The kinesis is random, whereas the taxi is oriented to approach or to move away.

Animals identify these stimuli through their body receptors; These send a signal to the nervous system.

The answer will depend on the kind of stimulus that is presented and the type of animal that perceives it.

There is a great variety of taxis, these vary according to the nature of the stimulus. The receptors that alert the animal and the characteristics of the orientation also vary.

Knowledge about the different taxisms in animals is important for biology, since it has helped to understand organic and behavioral aspects in different species.

Main features

Taxi, simplified in its most basic form, is divided into two types of orientation: positive and negative.

Positive taxi is one that makes the animal get closer to the source of stimulus; the negative, on the other hand, makes it move away.

The positive taxi usually helps the animals in their mating or feeding, since it brings them closer to their partner or moves them towards their prey.

This response to the stimulus helps them even to communicate with each other, and to find each other despite being at great distances.

Negative taxiing, on the other hand, is often related to the preservation and survival of animals.

It is the response to stimuli that may indicate danger, such as sudden movements.

For example, when animals identify changes in temperature, they tend to move to warmer or cooler climates at their convenience.

Sensory receptors

Receptors are the source that each animal has to detect stimuli from the environment.

These are sensory structures that animals of various species have and that can identify internal or external movements.

External sensory receptors are able to identify stimuli from the environment, such as sound, light, movement, temperature, odors and pressure, among others.

Internal sensory receptors identify stimuli related to the interior of organisms, such as body temperature, pH levels, and even the composition of the blood.

There are also propiorreceptors, which are found in muscles, bones and tendons of animals. These warn them about the state and position of their own body.

Sense organs

The sense organs are the parts of an animal's body that come into contact with stimuli and the environment.

For example, in humans, the ear helps identify sounds, the skin is the organ through which the stimulus of touch enters the nervous system, and the eyes identify variations in light and movement.

In animals, the location of these organs and their functions usually vary depending on the ecosystem in which they develop.

For example, most insects have antennae that serve as touch receptors. In other animals such as octopuses and jellyfish, the receptors are found in the tentacles.

Most mammals are guided by sight, using their eyes; However, specimens such as bats and dolphins base their movements on echolocation, that is, through the use of sound.

At the level of internal sensory receptors, chemoreceptors help animals to identify, for example, pheromones in the environment. This allows them to go to a possible mating partner.

Snakes have a very poor sense of sight, but they have the ability to detect the body temperature of other animals. These thermoreceptors help it to hunt its prey.

Similarly, some species of sharks and manta rays can sense electric fields in the water created by other animals.

Types of taxis

The types of taxis are the consequence of variations of external or internal stimuli when they are intercepted by animals using their sensory organs.

1- Anemotaxism

It is the displacement according to the direction of the wind. Some insects, upon perceiving the chemical traces of a probable prey or mating partner, perform negative anemotaxis (they move against the wind) until they find the origin of the smell.

2- Phototaxism

It is the movement towards or against the light. Insects such as worms and cockroaches tend to move away when exposed to light, while moths and flies are strongly attracted to it.

3- Geotaxism

It is about displacement towards or against gravitational movements. For example, some kinds of anemones, jellyfish, and marine parasites have a tendency to move to the bottom of the sea, thus making a positive geotaxis.

4- Hydrotaxism

The displacement in the direction of the water. When turtles emerge from their eggs buried in the sand on the shores of the sea, they perform a positive hydrotaxis, since their instinct makes them head to the ocean as soon as they are born.

5- Thermotaxism

It refers to the movement towards heat sources. A positive thermotaxis would be to approach the temperate, while a negative is to move away from the heat source.

Some species in which positive thermotaxism has been proven are nematodes and mosquitoes.

6- Thigmotaxism

It is the response to vibrations or to the pressure exerted on a point. An example of this taxi includes spiders.

By weaving their webs, spiders can identify the most subtle vibrations. When a small insect is trapped and exerts pressure on the web, the spiders perform a positive thigmotaxy: they approach their prey.

References

1. Biology Online (2016) Taxis. Biology Online. Recovered from biology-online.org
2. Dijkgraaf, S. (sf) Mechanoreception: Sensory Reception. Encyclopedia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com
3. Encyclopedia Britannica (nd) Orientation. Locomotion - Behavior. Recovered from com
4. McComas (nd) Tropism and Taxism Notes. Biology. Recovered from kmbiology.weebly.com
5. Sparknotes (sf) Animal behavior: orientation and navigation. Movement: Taxis and Kinesis. Recovered from sparknotes.com