Final answer:
Touch is detected by mechanoreceptors in the skin, not chemoreceptors. These receptors include free nerve endings, Merkel cells, and various corpuscles, all of which send sensory information to the somatosensory cortex.
Step-by-step explanation:
Somatic Receptors for Touch Sensations
The somatic receptors that detect touch sensations are not chemoreceptors, but rather a category known as mechanoreceptors. These receptors are primarily responsible for converting mechanical stimuli like pressure, vibration, and texture into neural signals that the brain can interpret as touch. The tactile receptors in the skin include free nerve endings, Merkel cells, Meissner's corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles, root hair plexuses, and Ruffini corpuscles. Each of these has a specialized function; for example, Merkel cells are associated with the sense of light touch and the discrimination of shapes and textures, while Pacinian corpuscles respond to deep pressure and vibration.
Free nerve endings are the most common and can respond to pain, temperature, and less precisely to light touch. The sensory information from these receptors is then transmitted to the brain, particularly the somatosensory cortex, where it is processed. It's important to note that chemoreceptors, as implied by their name, are involved in chemical stimuli such as taste and smell, not touch.