Question

Why are olfaction and gustation called chemical senses? Neither one has sensory receptors that respond to molecules in the food we eat or in the air we breathe. They are unrelated to biological senses. They have sensory receptors that respond to molecules in the food we eat or in the air we breathe. We cannot use these senses without the presence of specific chemicals in the body.

Answer 1

Chemical senses

Explanation:

Olfaction and gustation are called chemical senses because they have sensory receptors that respond to molecules in the food we eat or in the air we breathe

• Olfaction is odor detection, the olfactory receptors are located in the olfactory epithelium, a dime-sized area at the top of each nasal cavity
• An epithelium is a layer of cells, so the olfactory epithelium is a layer of cells devoted to the sense of smell
• The receptors feed directly into a part of the brain called the olfactory bulb
• Gustation is usually called the sense of taste, despite the fact that olfaction dominates our ability to taste foods and liquids
• Taste cells are gathered together in taste buds on the tongue, and taste buds are hidden in bumps on the tongue called papillae
• Olfaction and gustation are are stimulated by chemicals, the molecules of which interact with receptors to produce a generator potential (olfaction) or receptor potential (gustation)