Final answer:
Not being able to perceive taste could prevent animals from distinguishing dangerous or nutritious foods, possibly leading to a loss of appetite and compromising their ability to survive. Taste is integral to identifying food quality, and the loss of taste perception may result in bland food intake or the need for additional seasoning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The effect on an animal of not being able to perceive taste might include the inability to distinguish foods that are dangerous, such as those that are bitter, spoiled, or sour, which could have serious implications on its survival. While it may not result in heightened senses such as increased sensitivity to smell, enhanced vision, or heightened sensitivity to touch, it could result in a loss of appetite due to the inability to enjoy the flavors of food. Additionally, because different tasting foods have crucial attributes for survival, the inability to perceive taste could compromise the animal's ability to make safe and nutritious choices.
Taste and smell are interconnected senses. Both involve stimulus molecules entering the body and bonding to receptors. A sense of taste allows animals to discriminate between different types of foods and can alert them to substances that are bitter or sour, typically associated with toxicity or spoilage, while sweetness usually indicates high calories useful in lean times. Salty taste is essential in maintaining homeostasis. Loss of the sense of taste, called ageusia, could mean the animal's food may become bland, and the animal might require different kinds of foods or additional seasoning to compensate for the lack of taste.