The Electroreceptors: Diversity in Structure and Function

Abstract

Sensory systems that operate in an aquatic habitat face different environmental constraints than their terrestrial counterparts in the detection of stimuli. The different transmission properties of air and water for sound, light, and chemical stimuli have resulted in habitat-specific differences in the structure and function of many sensory receptor organs. Electroreception, on the other hand, is unique to the aquatic habitat and, since air behaves as an insulator, rather than a conductor, is physically restricted to it.