Sensory perception: Adaptation to lifestyle and habitat

Abstract

Sensory perception is a biological phenomenon and should be treated as such. It has a long history, beginning in the early stages of the evolution of life. Even bacteria depend on information gained about their outside and inside world. Basic mechanisms of sensing have indeed already been invented by the simplest organisms. Among the rich diversity of extant sensory systems are quite a few unknown to man. They give animals access to experiences alien to humans. A prominent characteristic of all sensors and sensing is their selectivity for the biologically relevant and their capacity to ignore most of the potential stimuli actually present. This implies that sensors and sensory systems are windows to the world with an extremely limited but well tuned transparency. They have not evolved to provide abstract truth but rather to achieve fitness (survival and reproduction). The intimate relationship between sensory systems and the habitat and lifestyle of a particular animal species is a logical consequence of this.