Search results for "pheromone"

Human olfactory communication: current challenges and future prospects

2020

Although anthropologists frequently report the centrality of odours in the daily lives and cultural beliefs of many small-scale communities, Western scholars have historically considered the sense of smell as minimally involved in human communication. Here, we suggest that the origin and persistence of this latter view might be a consequence of the fact that most research is conducted on participants from Western societies who, collectively, were ratherold(adults),deodorizedanddesensitized(ODD) to various aspects of olfactory perception. The view is rapidly changing, however, and this themed issue provides a timely overview of the current state-of-the-art on human chemocommunication. Based …

Data from: The evolution of a complex trait: cuticular hydrocarbons in ants evolve independent from phylogenetic constraints

2017

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) are ubiquitous and highly diverse in insects, serving as communication signal and waterproofing agent. Despite their vital function, the causes, mechanisms and constraints on CHC diversification are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated phylogenetic constraints on the evolution of CHC profiles, using a global dataset of the species-rich and chemically diverse ant genus Crematogaster. We decomposed CHC profiles into quantitative (relative abundances, chain length) and qualitative traits (presence/absence of CHC classes). A species-level phylogeny was estimated using newly generated and previously published sequences from five nuclear markers. Moreover, w…

A single key-odorant accounts for the pheromonal effect of rabbit milk : Further test of the mammary pheromone's activity against a wide sample of vo…

2003

In the rabbit, lactating females emit a volatile compound in milk, the mammary pheromone (MP), that triggers rooting for the nipple and its grasping in pups. Previous studies have shown that the MP seems to act selectively, in terms both of intensity and quality. Here, we aimed to add new evidence to these properties of the MP. Newborn rabbits (n=825) were submitted to an oral activation test allowing to measure their searching/grasping responses towards different stimuli. In Experiment 1 we assessed whether pups respond to the MP in an intensity-dependent manner. In Experiment 2 we assessed the activity of 20 volatiles previously identified in rabbit milk, other than the MP, which were nev…

Seducin, male sex pheromone of the cockroachNauphoeta cinerea: Isolation, identification, and bioassay.

1990

The male sex pheromone of the cockroachNauphoeta cinerea was isolated from adult sternal glands and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This pheromone, which attracts females from a distance, is a multicomponent blend. It is composed principally of three compounds: 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (acetoin), 2-methylthiazolidine, and 4-ethyl-2-meth-oxyphenol. A mixture of synthetic compounds in a ratio of 4∶4∶1 (2700 ng) elicits maximal response and short latency of response by receptive females, similar to that induced by male sternal gland extracts. Tested separately, each compound induces a positive response, but the moving times spent by females are generally longer than with the mi…

Pheromones linked to sexual behaviors excite the appetitive phase of feeding behavior of Aplysia fasciata . I. Modulation and excitation of appetitiv…

1998

Pheromones presumably secreted by mating conspecifics – as well as homogenates containing tissue that is homologous with the atrial gland – increase the time that Aplysia fasciata spend feeding. This effect is caused by increasing the number of feeding episodes initiated in response to food, whereas the duration of a feeding bout remains unchanged. The increase in the number of feeding episodes is related to increases in head waving and crawling, i.e., appetitive movements that bring the animal into contact with food, as well as an increase in the responsiveness to food after it is contacted. Releasing a homogenate containing atrial gland tissue, or egg laying hormone, in the water near the…

Pheromones linked to sexual behaviors excite the appetitive phase of feeding behavior of Aplysia fasciata II. Excitation of C-PR, a neuron involved i…

1998

Pheromones presumably released by conspecifics amplify both the appetitive and the consummatory components of feeding in Aplysia. These effects can be mimicked by administering homogenate of the large hermaphroditic duct containing atrial gland tissue, as well as peptides from the bag cells. Identified cerebro-pedal regulator (C-PR) neuron is thought to command various behaviors that comprise the appetitive phase of feeding. In a reduced preparation, we investigated the effects on the C-PR of applying these substances to the rhinophores, the sensory organs which detect pheromones. Stimuli that excite feeding in the animal were also found to affect the C-PR. Large hermaphroditic duct homogen…

Newborn rabbit responsiveness to the mammary pheromone is concentration-dependent.

2004

The effect of the intensity of odour signals has rarely been investigated in the regulation of odour-guided behaviour in young mammals. This series of experiments used the mammary pheromone (MP) of the female rabbit to assess the influence of stimulus concentration on neonatal pup responsiveness. The MP is a single compound isolated from rabbit milk that releases in pups the typical head searching and oral seizing behaviour. The pups (n = 621) were exposed to graded concentrations of the MP in bioassays varying in stimulus delivery conditions. Experiment 1 demonstrated that in aqueous dilutions the MP efficiently elicits behavioural responses only within a limited range of concentrations (f…

Role of volatile and contact pheromones in the mating behaviour of Bagrada hilaris (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

2008

Volatiles and contact pheromones involved in the mating behaviour of the Painted bug, Bagrada hilaris Burmeister (Het- eroptera: Pentatomidae), were investigated in behavioural and chemical experiments. Vertical open Y-shaped olfactometer bioassays showed that odour from males attract females but not males, while that from females did not attract either gender. Adult females were also attracted by hexane extracts of volatile compounds collected from males. In open arena bioassays, males displayed the characteristic steps of courtship behaviour in the presence of virgin females. Such courtship behaviour was displayed in the presence of females killed by freezing, but not in the presence of f…

Responses of Aphytis chilensis to the synthetic sex pheromone of the Oleander scale

2002

Three decades of pheromonal research in Drosophila: some answers and many questions

2012

International audience; Over the last 30 years, pheromonal research in Drosophila has considerably expanded from the pioneering characterization of contact sex-pheromones in D. melanogaster adults1 right up to the recent discovery of the receptor proteins for these compounds.2,. The two sides of pheromonal communication – production and perception – have been explored using molecular, genetic, cellular, biochemical, physiological, ethological and evolutionary approaches3. Developmental and environmental effects on hydrocarbon production and the mechanisms underlying the plasticity of their perception have been also investigated3. Over the past few years, there has been a particular focus on…