Taste receptors and their ecological niches: cats, dogs, and other vertebrates

Many species of animals rely on their chemical senses to detect tastants and odorants to guide dietary selection, avoid danger, and modulate social interactions, all of which ultimately enhance survival and fitness. Significant progress has been made in our understanding of the 2 major chemosensory systems, taste and smell, through studies in model organisms such as flies and mice, ranging from receptor identification to sensory coding mechanisms. These topics have been extensively reviewed elsewhere. Here, we will instead focus on less commonly used model systems and companion animals, examining how taste receptors have been shaped by feeding ecology over the course of evolution to illustrate the concept that each species lives in its own sensory world, finely tuned to its ecological niche.