environmental-change
Environmental change encompasses alterations to ecosystems caused by human activities and natural ecological processes, including climate shifts, physical disturbances, and invasive species introductions. For plant science, this is critical because plants are sensitive indicators of environmental conditions that respond directly through changes in physiology, distribution, and survival. Understanding plant responses to environmental change is essential for conservation, predicting ecosystem impacts, and developing resilient agricultural systems.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-02-15
Mammalian whisker sensory systems are affected by environmental changes including noise, pollution, and new plant species exposure, which can alter whisker growth, sensitivity, and neural processing; however, many impacts remain poorly understood.
Environmental change impacts all modalities of vibrissal sensing including vibrotactile, electric, and multimodal reception
Exposure to new plant species, pathogens, and chemicals affects vibrissal growth and sensitivity
Acoustic noise and altered air/water flow regimes can cause whisker shaft oscillations that may mask prey detection signals