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Pheromone

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	Pheromone
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	Topics Pheromone Topic Home A pheromone (from GreekGreek language Greek has a documented history of 3,500 years, the longest of any single language within the Indo-European family.... f??? phero "to bear" + ‘??µ??? "hormoneHormone A hormone is a chemical messenger from one cell to another.... ") is a chemical that triggers a natural behavioral response in another member of the same species. There are alarm pheromones, food trail pheromones, sex pheromones, and many others that affect behavior or physiology. Their use among insectInsect Insects are invertebrates that are taxonomically referred to as the class Insecta.... s has been particularly well documented, although many vertebrateVertebrate Vertebrata is a subphylum of chordates, specifically, those with backbones or spinal columns.... s and plantPlant Plants are a major group of living things including familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, ferns, and mosses.... s also communicate using pheromones. Background The term "pheromone" was introduced by Peter Karlson and Martin Lüscher in 1959, based on the Greek pherein (to transport) and hormone (to stimulate). They proposed the term to describe chemical signals from conspecifics which elicit innate behaviours soon after Butenandt characterized the first such chemical, BombykolBombykol Bombykol is a pheromone released by the female silkworm moth to attract mates.... (a chemically well-characterized pheromone released by the female silkworm to attract mates). Types Aggregation pheromones Produced by one or the other sex, aggregation pheromones attract individuals of both sexes. Alarm pheromones Some species release a volatile substance when attacked by a predator that can trigger flight (in aphidAphid Aphids, also known as greenfly/blackfly or plant lice, are minute plant-feeding insects in the superfamily... s) or aggression (in bees) in members of the same species. Pheromones also exist in plants: certain plants emit alarm pheromones when grazed upon, resulting in tanninTannin Tannins are astringent, bitter-tasting plant polyphenols that bind and precipitate proteins.... production in neighboring plants. These tannins make the plants less appetizing for the herbivoreHerbivore Overview Herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants.... . Epideictic pheromones Recognized in insects, epideictic pheromones are different from territory pheromones. According to FabreJean Henri Fabre Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre was a French entomologist and author.... (translated from French), "Females who lay their eggs in these fruits deposit these mysterious substances in the vicinity of their clutch to signal to other females of the same species so that they will clutch elsewhere." Releaser pheromones Releaser pheromones are powerful attractant molecules that some organisms may use to attract mates from a distance of two miles or more. This type of pheromone generally elicits a rapid response but is quickly degraded. In contrast, a primer pheromone has a slower onset and a longer duration. Primer pheromones Primer pheromones trigger a change of developmental events. Territorial pheromones Laid down in the environment, territorial pheromones mark the boundaries of an organism's territory. In dogs, these hormones are present in the urine, which they deposit on landmarks serving to mark the perimeter of the claimed territory. Trail pheromones Trail pheromones are common in social insects. For example, antAnt Ants are one of the most successful groups of insects in the animal kingdom.... s mark their paths with these pheromones, which are non-volatile hydrocarbonHydrocarbon In chemistry, a hydrocarbon is any chemical compound that consists only of the elements carbon and hydrogen .... s. Certain ants lay down an initial trail of pheromones as they return to the nest with food. This trail attracts other ants and serves as a guide. As long as the food source remains, the pheromone trail will be continually renewed. The pheromone must be continually renewed because it evaporates quickly. When the supply begins to dwindle, the trailmaking ceases. In at least one species of ant, trails that no longer lead to food are also marked with a repellent pheromone. Sex pheromones In animals, sex pheromones indicate the availability of the female for breeding. Male animals may also emit pheromones that convey information about their species and genotypeGenotype The genotype is the specific genetic makeup of an individual, in the form of DNA.... . Many insect species release sex pheromones to attract a mate, and many lepidopteraLepidoptera The order Lepidoptera is the second largest order in the class insecta and includes the butterflies, skippers, and moths.... ns can detect a potential mate from as far away as 10 kilometers (6 mi). Pheromones can be used in gameteGamete Gametes, from the ancient Greek ?aet?? , are the specialized germ cells that come together during fertilization in orga... s to trail the opposite sex's gametes for fertilizationFertilization Fertilization , is fusion of gametes to produce a new organism of the same species.... . Pheromones are also used in the detection of oestrus in sowsPig Overview Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus *Sus* within the Suidae family.... . BoarBoar The Wild Boar is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig.... pheromones are sprayed into the , and those sows which exhibit sexual arousalSexual arousal Sexual arousal is the process and state of an animal being ready for sexual activity.... are known to be currently available for breeding. Other pheromones (not yet classified) This classification, based on the effects on behavior, remains artificial. Pheromones fill many additional functions. NasonovNasonov The Nasonov pheromone is released by worker bees to orient returning forager bees back to the colony.... pheromones (worker bees) Royal pheromones (bees) Calming (appeasement) pheromones (mammals) Uses Animals Pheromones of the pest insect species, such as the Japanese beetleJapanese beetle The Japanese beetle is a beetle about 1.5 cm long and 1 cm wide, with shiny copper-colored elytra and a shiny green top of t... and the gypsy mothGypsy moth The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae of Eurasian origin.... , can be used to induce many behaviors. This facilitates trapping for monitoring purposes and population control by creating confusion, disrupting mating and preventing them from laying eggs. In mammalMammal The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of mammary glands, which in females produce mi... s and reptileReptile Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane.... s, pheromones may be detected by the vomeronasal organFacts About Vomeronasal organ The vomeronasal organ or Jacobson's organ is an auxiliary olfactory sense organ in some tetrapods.... , or Jacobson's organ, which lies between the nose and mouth and is the first stage of the accessory olfactory systemAccessory olfactory system The Accessory olfactory system is one of the two olfactory systems commonly found in vertebrates.... . Some pheromones in these animals are detected by regular olfactory membranes. Humans Few well-controlled scientific studies have ever been published suggesting the possibility of pheromones in humans. The best known case involves the reported synchronization of menstrual cycleMenstrual cycle The menstrual cycle is a recurring cycle of physiological changes in the females of some animal species that is associated w... s among women based on unconscious odor cues (the McClintock effectMcClintock effect The McClintock effect is the observed phenomenon that the menstrual cycles of women who live together will tend to become sy... , named after the primary investigator, Martha McClintockMartha McClintock Martha McClintock is an American psychologist best known for her discoveries of the existence of human pheromones and menstr... , of the University of Chicago). This study proposes that there are two types of pheromone involved: "One, produced prior to ovulation, shortens the ovarian cycle; and the second, produced just at ovulation, lengthens the cycle". However recent studies and reviews of the of the McClintock methodology have called into question the validity of her results. Other studies have suggested that people might be using odor cues associated with the immune system to select mates who are not closely related to themselves. Using a brain imaging technique, SwedishSweden The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in Scandinavia.... researchers have shown that homosexualFacts About Homosexuality Homosexuality refers to sexual and romantic attraction between two individuals of the same sex.... and heterosexualHeterosexuality Heterosexuality primarily refers to aesthetic, sexual and romantic attraction exclusively between two individuals of differ... males' brains respond differently to two odors that may be involved in sexual arousal, and that the homosexual men respond in the same way as heterosexual women. The study was expanded to include homosexual women; the results were consistent with previous findings meaning that homosexual women were not as responsive to male identified odors, but their response to female cues was similar to heterosexual males. According to the researchers, this research suggests a possible role for human pheromones in the biological basis of sexual orientationSexual orientation Sexual orientation describes the direction of an individual's sexuality, often in relation to their own sex or gender.... . Another study demonstrated that the smell of androstadienoneAndrostadienone Androstadienone, also known as androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one, is a chemical compound that has been described as having str... , a chemical component of male sweatSWEAT *SWEAT* is an OLN/TSN show hosted by Julie Zwillich that aired in 2003-2004.... , maintains higher levels of cortisolCortisol Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex that is involved in the response to stress; it increases... in females. The scientists suggest that the ability of this compound to influence the endocrine balance of the opposite sex makes it a human pheromonal chemosignal. In 2002 a study published in the quarterly journal Physiology and Behavior showed an unnamed synthetic chemical in women's perfume appeared to increase intimate contact with men. The authors hypothesize, but do not demonstrate, that the observed behavioural differences are olfactory mediated. In 2006 it was shown that a second mouse receptor sub-class is found in the olfactory epitheliumOlfactory epithelium The olfactory epithelium is a specialized epithelial tissue inside the nasal cavity that is involved in smell.... . Called the trace amine-associated receptorTrace amine-associated receptor Trace amine-associated receptors, abbreviated TAAR and previously abbreviated TAR and TA, are a class of G... s (TAAR), some are activated by volatile amineAmine Amines are organic compounds and a type of functional group that contain nitrogen as the key atom.... s found in mouse urine, including one putative mouse pheromone. OrthologOrtholog Orthologs are genes in different species which evolved from a common ancestral gene.... ous receptors exist in humans providing, the authors propose, evidence for a mechanism of human pheromone detection. Some body spray advertisers claim that their products contain human sexual pheromones which act as an aphrodisiacAphrodisiac An aphrodisiac is an agent which acts on the mind and causes the arousal of the mood of sexual desire.... . In the 1970's "copulins" were patented as products which release human pheromones, based on research on rhesus monkeys. Subsequently, androstenone, axillary sweat, and "vomodors" have been claimed to act as human pheromones. Despite these claims, no pheromonal substance has ever been demonstrated to directly influence human behavior in a peer reviewPeer review Summary Peer review is a process of subjecting an author's scholarly work or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the... ed study. See also Further reading Kohl, JV., Atzmueller, M., Fink, B. & Grammer, K. (2001). Human Pheromones: Integrating Neuroendocrinology and Ethology. Neuroendocrinology Letters, 22(5), 319-331. Liberles, S.D., Buck, L.B. (2006). A second class of chemosensory receptors in the olfactory epithelium. Nature, 442, 645-50. McClintock, M.K. (1984). Estrous synchrony: modulation of ovarian cycle length by female pheromones. Physiological Behavior, 32, 701-705. Wilson, E. O., Bossert, W. H. (1963). Chemical communication among animals. Recent Progress in Hormone Research, 19, 673-716. Wyatt, Tristram D. (2003). Pheromones and Animal Behaviour: Communication by Smell and Taste. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-48526-6. External links , the database of insect pheromones -- from UC Berkeley, February 2007 -- from Science Daily, February 2007 -- from Science Daily (March 2003)