scholarly journals Smelling wrong: hormonal contraception in lemurs alters critical female odour cues

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1702) ◽  
pp. 122-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Chase Crawford ◽  
Marylène Boulet ◽  
Christine M. Drea
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Kin Recognition ◽  
Hormonal Contraception ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Olfactory Cues ◽  
Genetic Constitution ◽  
Normal Female ◽  
Intraspecific Interactions ◽  
Volatile Chemicals ◽  
Female Reproductive Status

Animals, including humans, use olfaction to assess potential social and sexual partners. Although hormones modulate olfactory cues, we know little about whether contraception affects semiochemical signals and, ultimately, mate choice. We examined the effects of a common contraceptive, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), on the olfactory cues of female ring-tailed lemurs ( Lemur catta ), and the behavioural response these cues generated in male conspecifics. The genital odorants of contracepted females were dramatically altered, falling well outside the range of normal female variation: MPA decreased the richness and modified the relative abundances of volatile chemicals expressed in labial secretions. Comparisons between treatment groups revealed several indicator compounds that could reliably signal female reproductive status to conspecifics. MPA also changed a female's individual chemical ‘signature’, while minimizing her chemical distinctiveness relative to other contracepted females. Most remarkably, MPA degraded the chemical patterns that encode honest information about genetic constitution, including individual diversity (heterozygosity) and pairwise relatedness to conspecifics. Lastly, males preferentially investigated the odorants of intact over contracepted females, clearly distinguishing those with immediate reproductive potential. By altering the olfactory cues that signal fertility, individuality, genetic quality and relatedness, contraceptives may disrupt intraspecific interactions in primates, including those relevant to kin recognition and mate choice.

scholarly journals The Role of (E)-2-octenyl Acetate as a Pheromone of Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister): Laboratory and Field Evaluation

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Mokhtar Abdulsattar Arif ◽  
Salvatore Guarino ◽  
Stefano Colazza ◽  
Ezio Peri
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Mate Location ◽  
Intraspecific Interactions ◽  
Volatile Chemicals ◽  
Main Compound ◽  
The World ◽  
And Control ◽  
Antennal Responses

The pentatomid bug Bagrada hilaris is a key pest of brassicaceous crops in several areas of the world. Previous studies suggest that mate location of this species is mediated by volatile chemicals produced by males, among which the main compound is (E)-2-octenyl acetate. However, the possible attraction of males, females, and nymphs to this compound has not yet been specifically tested. In this study, we tested the response of B. hilaris females, males, and nymphs to (E)-2-octenyl acetate using an electroantennogram (EAG) and olfactometer in the presence or absence of a host plant. Moreover, (E)-2-octenyl acetate as an attractant lure in field trap bioassays was evaluated. EAG recordings showed that this compound evokes antennal responses in B. hilaris females. Olfactometer behavioral responses showed that females and nymphs were attracted to (E)-2-octenyl acetate, while males showed no attraction. In the field trap bioassays, captures were obtained in traps baited with 5 and 10 mg of (E)-2-octenyl acetate, while in traps loaded with 2 mg and control traps, there were no recorded catches. These results suggest the involvement of (E)-2-octenyl acetate in intraspecific interactions of this species.

scholarly journals AnMhcComponent to Kin Recognition and Mate Choice in Birds: Predictions, Progress, and Prospects

2002 ◽  
Vol 160 (S6) ◽  
pp. S225-S237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethanne Zelano ◽  
Scott V. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Kin Recognition

Analysis of volatile chemical substances in urine of the kinship and non-kinship Tupaia belangeri (Mammalia: Scandentia: Tupaiidae)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. L. Zhu ◽  
X. Y. Ren ◽  
D. M. Hou ◽  
W. Q. Wang ◽  
Z. K. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Chemical Communication ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Kin Recognition ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
Volatile Chemicals ◽  
Chemical Substances ◽  
Tupaia Belangeri ◽  
Main Components

Chemical communication plays an important role in reproductive and social behaviour of small mammals. The chemical constituents of urine were the main signal resources that can encode sex and social status. The purpose of the present study was to test volatile chemical substances in urine of the kinship and non-kinship Tupaia belangeri, volatile chemicals in urine were performed by the gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which is speculated that volatile chemicals in urine may had key role in its kin recognition of T. belangeri. The results showed that the components of volatile chemicals in urine were similar between the kinship and non-kinship T. belangeri, which the main components were Alcohols, Alkanes, Esters and Ketones, but the types of each materials were discrepant. “Formic acid, octyl ester” were absence or existence regularly, and “a-Farnesene” and “2,4-Dithiapentane” were found in kinship and non-kinship T. belangeri, which may be signaling substances in the urine. All of the results suggested that volatile chemical substances in urine were different in kinship and non-kinship T. belangeri, indicating that chemical communication based on signals in urine plays an important role in its kin recognition of T. belangeri.

Kin Recognition in Juvenile Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Based on Olfactory Cues

2003 ◽  
Vol 205 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. Mann ◽  
E. R. Turnell ◽  
J. Atema ◽  
G. Gerlach
Keyword(s):  
Danio Rerio ◽  
Kin Recognition ◽  
Olfactory Cues

Male mate choice and male-male competition coexist in the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 745-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison S Craig ◽  
Louis M Herman ◽  
Adam A Pack
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Reproductive Season ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Calving Rate ◽  
Male Mate

Male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) outnumber females on the winter grounds and compete physically for proximity to females. Analyses of identification photographs collected in Hawai'i from 1976 through 1995 and scan samples collected in 1998 showed that (i) reproductive potential (calving rate) for the following winter was greater for females without a calf than females with a calf, (ii) females without a calf were less likely to be found alone and more likely to be found in large pods than females with a calf, (iii) individual females were found in larger pods when without a calf than when with a calf, (iv) the probability of females with a calf being escorted by one or more males increased as the reproductive season progressed, and (v) head lunges occurred more commonly in all-adult pods than in pods containing a calf. We concluded that male humpback whales associate preferentially with females with high reproductive potential, that the attractiveness of individual females varies with their status (with a calf versus without a calf), that males become progressively less choosy over the course of the reproductive season as females without a calf become increasingly rare on the winter grounds, and that males expend more energy in competition over females without a calf than females with a calf.

The information content of odour, colour and tactile cues in the mate choice of minnows

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (8) ◽  
pp. 909-925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannele Valkama ◽  
Hannu Huuskonen ◽  
Jouni Taskinen ◽  
Yi-Te Lai ◽  
Jukka Kekäläinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Information Content ◽  
Condition Factor ◽  
Lower Number ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Olfactory Cues ◽  
Male Quality ◽  
Phoxinus Phoxinus ◽  
Tactile Cues

AbstractSexual displays often involve many different signal components, which may give information about the same or different mate qualities. We studied the information content of different signals in male minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) and tested whether females are able to discriminate between males when only olfactory cues are present. We found that females preferred the odour of males with a more saturated (i.e., redder) belly, but only when the females had been in physical contact with the males before the experiments. Instead, when unfamiliar males were used, females did not discriminate between male odours and also the overall swimming activity (mate choice intensity) of the females was significantly lower. More ornamented males had lower number of Philometra ovata parasites (indicated by belly saturation) and Neoechinorhynchus rutili parasites (indicated by belly hue) than their less ornamented counterparts. We did not find experimental evidence for female odour preference being linked to belly hue and breeding tubercle number, but in the nature these traits were associated with the condition factor of the males. Taken together, our results suggest that belly colouration and breeding tubercles give honest information on several aspects of male quality. In addition females may learn the association between male colouration and their olfactory signals and utilize this information when visual signals are not present.

scholarly journals Reproducible research into human semiochemical cues and pheromones: learning from psychology’s renaissance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristram D Wyatt
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Publication Bias ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Chemical Signals ◽  
Olfactory Cues ◽  
Reproducible Research ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Human Pheromones ◽  
Crisis In Psychology

As with other mammals, smell in the form of semiochemicals is likely to influence the behaviour of humans, as olfactory cues to emotions, health, and mate choice. A subset of semiochemicals, pheromones, chemical signals within a species, have been identified in many mammal species. As mammals, we may have pheromones too. Sadly, the story of molecules claimed to be ‘putative human pheromones’ is a classic example of bad science carried out by good scientists. Much of human semiochemicals research including work on ‘human pheromones’ and olfactory cues comes within the field of psychology. Thus, the research is highly likely to be affected by the ‘reproducibility crisis’ in psychology and other life sciences. Psychology researchers have responded with proposals to enable better, more reliable science, with an emphasis on enhancing reproducibility. A key change is the adoption of study pre-registration which will also reduce publication bias. Human semiochemicals research would benefit from adopting these proposals.

Do olfactory cues from males with different avpr1a genotypes affect female mate choice in prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster?

2020 ◽  
Vol 180 ◽  
pp. 104228
Author(s):  
Amanda L. Hayes-Puttfarcken ◽  
Christine Kemmerly ◽  
Brian Keane ◽  
Nancy G. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Microtus Ochrogaster ◽  
Olfactory Cues ◽  
Prairie Voles ◽  
Female Mate

MATING BEHAVIOUR AND MALE MATE CHOICE IN TRIBOLIUM CASTANEUM (COLEOPTERA, TENEBRIONIDAE)

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Haubruge ◽  
Ludovic Arnaud
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Female Status ◽  
Male Mate

Mate choice by males has received less attention than female choice, despite the recognition that males can incur non-trivial reproductive costs through mating. In this study we investigate male mate choice in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. We determine whether male beetles have evolved sensitivity that enables them to discriminate between females and we then examine how males discriminate between females that present different reproductive potentials. Recently-emerged adult females are immature, and we investigate when egg-laying maturity develops, and whether male mating attempts with immature females provide reproductive pay-offs. We show that males are the sex most likely to initiate mating attempts (more than 85% of male-female contacts are male-initiated). Therefore, we test male mating initiations when presented with choices between: (i) immature and mature virgin females; (ii) mature virgin females and previously mated mature females; and (iii) mature females previously mated either with different male or with the test males. Last male sperm precedence exists in T. castaneum and females are polyandrous. Matings with immature females are therefore likely to generate lower fertilization successes than matings with mature females. Furthermore, males are likely to achieve higher total fertilization success when they mate if they precede a rival male's sperm than if they precede their own sperm. Accordingly, we find that: (i) males copulate more frequently with mature, than with immature females; (ii) males do differentiate between virgin and mated females; and (iii) males prefer females that have been inseminated by a different male to those previously inseminated by the test males themselves. The results demonstrate that male T. castaneum recognise female status, display mate choice, and prefer to inseminate females which provide greater reproductive potential.

Olfactory Cues Used by Female Gromphadorhina portentosa (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae) During Mate Choice

1985 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 629-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura B. Leibensperger ◽  
James F. A. Traniello ◽  
Jean M. Fraser
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Olfactory Cues ◽  
Gromphadorhina Portentosa
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