Sensory System - The Mouth Flashcards
What is the sense of taste more formally known as?
the gustatory system
What are taste buds?
a collection of cells normally located in the mouth
How does an animal taste food?
taste buds include taste receptor cells which bind to particular chemical compounds in food and then send electrical signals through the nervous system and to the brain
there are different taste receptor cells that respond to particular tastes
What are the five basic tastes that humans can sense?
sweet
umami
bitter
salty
sour
not all animals can sense all five of these
What is the palate?
the roof of the mouth which separates the nasal chambers from the mouth
it is made up of a hard palate and a soft palate
What is the hard palate?
the roof of the mouth towards the front
made up of bones that are part of the skull
What is the soft palate?
the roof of the mouth towards the back
made of muscle and tissue and is able to move
has a mucous lining which secretes saliva
when swallowing the soft palate closes the passageway at the back of the throat that is connected to the nasal chambers
this stops food from entering the nasal cavity
What adaptations do mammals have?
they have an extended hard palate which allows them to chew and breathe at the same time
What adaptations do crocodiles have?
they have an extended hard palate to allow them to stay mostly submerged in water but still able to breathe
What has taste and taste buds evolved to achieve?
evolved to dislike overly-salty food because very slaty food is generally not good for health
What adaptations do fish have?
a large number of their taste buds are on the surface of the skin
How are fish able to have taste buds on the surface of their skin?
taste buds need to be moist to work and since fish live in water, taste buds can survive on the exterior skin
What is taste like for predatory species?
less likely to have a full range of taste receptors particularly sweet receptors because their diet is less varied than a herbivore or omnivore
What is taste like for prey species?
herbivores tend to have a larger number of taste buds than carnivores
they have a more varied diet and it also allows them to detect and avoid poisonous plants in their diet
omnivores often have more taste buds than carnivores but fewer than herbivores
