What stimuli does the vestibular apparatus detect?

head position in space

sound waves

joint position

presence of particular odorants

Head position in space

Explanation:

The vestibular system or apparatus is a collection of structures in the inner ear that provides a sense of balance and awareness of spatial orientation. The information furnished by the vestibular system is essential for coordinating the position of the head and the movement of the eyes. There are two sets of end organs in the inner ear, or labyrinth: the three semicircular canals, which detects and respond to rotational movements (angular acceleration); and the utricle and saccule (the otolith organs) within the vestibule, which respond to changes in the position of the head with respect to gravity (linear acceleration).

The receptor cells of the otoliths and semicircular canals send signals through the vestibular nerve fibers to the neural structures that control eye movements, posture, and balance.

The vestibular receptors lie in the inner ear next to the auditory cochlea.

Since the receptors detect rotational motion, such as head rotation, linear motion relative to gravity and transition these motions into neural signals that can be sent to the brain, the answer to this:

head position in space