root.gif (40794 bytes)Root Hair Plexus

Entwined around the root of each hair is a twirl of dendrites.  When a hair is stirred by a breeze or bent down by an insect, the slight movement on the surface is transmitted down to the hair's root, where the dendrites are slightly pulled - enough to set off a message to the brain.  Like tactile discs, they are most sensitive to initial movement, and don't continue to respond when hairs are continually being pushed flat.

 

 

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