This examination of the second of the "minor senses," gustation, brings us to the end of our survey of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. You should now have a more complete appreciation of how marvelously sensitive we human beings are to the noisy, odorous, light-reflecting, tasty objects that make up our world. And you should likewise appreciate that this world is defined by the human sensory nervous system. Other species with different nervous systems live in a world different from ours. The environment offers an abundance of opportunities for perception; whether one capitalizes on those opportunities depends on having receptors and brain mechanisms to register and process the various forms of sensory information available. Understanding perception requires that we examine what there is to be perceived (the environment as a source of stimulation), how the process is implemented (the mechanisms of perception), and, of course, how that information is ultimately used to influence behavior.