Which component senses environmental stimuli and communicates with the control center?

The correct answer is the receptor. Receptors are specialized structures that detect and respond to environmental stimuli, such as changes in temperature, light, sound, or chemical signals. They play a vital role in sensing information from the environment and converting it into signals that can be understood by the control center, typically the brain or another processing unit in an organism.

Once receptors detect a stimulus, they send this information to the control center, which processes the information and determines the appropriate response. This communication is essential for maintaining homeostasis and enabling an organism to react to its surroundings effectively.

The other options do not fulfill the role of sensing environmental stimuli. Effectors, for example, are the components that execute responses based on the control center's decisions, while the control center processes information received from the receptors but does not sense stimuli directly. A stimulus refers to the environmental change itself, which the receptors detect but is not an active component of the sensing mechanism.