Pheromones and Reproduction in Mammals

1st Edition - August 28, 1983
Editor: John Vandenbergh
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 1 5 6 5 1 - 6

Pheromones and Reproduction in Mammals reviews current research findings on the role of pheromones in mammalian reproduction. Drawing on both quantitative laboratory studies and… Read more

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Pheromones and Reproduction in Mammals reviews current research findings on the role of pheromones in mammalian reproduction. Drawing on both quantitative laboratory studies and selected observational field studies, the book explores how animals actively deploy scent to facilitate sexual interactions and the functions of those scent signals during these interactions. Organized into two sections encompassing nine chapters, this volume begins with an overview of chemical signals and how they influence reproductive behavior in a variety of mammalian species. It then discusses the nature of chemical signals and olfactory perception; the role of chemical communication in mother-young interactions and in the reproduction of primates; how pheromones regulate puberty and the ovarian cycle; and pregnancy blocking by pheromones. The reader is also introduced to hormonal responses to primer pheromones; sensory physiology of pheromone communication; and the role of pheromones in the reproduction of domestic animals such as cattle, swine, sheep, and goats. Biologists and students of biology will find this book extremely informative.

Contributors

Preface

I Signalling Pheromones

1 Chemical Signals and Reproductive Behavior

I. Introduction

II. Scent Marking and Scent Displays

III. Functions of Scent Signals

IV. Chemical Analysis of Sexual Chemosignals

References

2 Chemical Communication in Mother-Young Interactions

I. Introduction

II. Olfactory Mediation of Maternal Behaviors

III. Olfactory Mediation of Filial Behaviors

IV. Summary and Conclusions

References

3 Chemical Communication in Primate Reproduction

I. Introduction

II. Do Chemical Cues Influence Primate Reproductive Physiology?

III. The Communicative Significance of Odor Cues in Reproductive Behavior

IV. Hormones and the Behavior of Heterosexual Pairs of Rhesus Monkeys

V. Odor Cues and Communication of Sexual Status

VI. Odor Cues and Behavior in the Social Group

References

II Priming Pheromones

4 Pheromonal Regulation of Puberty

I. Introduction

II. Acceleration of Puberty in Females

III. Inhibition of Puberty in Females

IV. Control of Puberty in Males

V. Influences on Population Dynamics

VI. Conclusions

References

5 Pheromonal Regulation of the Ovarian Cycle: Enhancement, Suppression, and Synchrony

I. Introduction:The Problem

II. Enhancement and Suppression of the Ovarian Cycle

III. Synchrony

IV. Source and Function of Individual Differences

V. Function of Reproductive Synchrony, Suppression, and Enhancement

VI. Summary

References

6 Pregnancy Blocking by Pheromones

I. Introduction

II. Pregnancy Block in Mice

III. Pregnancy Termination in Other Rodents

IV. Pregnancy Block: Laboratory Artifact or Adaptive Advantage?

References

7 Hormonal Responses to Primer Pheromones

I. Introduction

II. Priming Phenomena in Laboratory Mice

III. Conclusions

References

8 Sensory Physiology of Pheromone Communication

I. Introduction

II. Review of Chemosensory Systems

III. Chemosensory Input into the Brain

IV. Evidence for Vomeronasal Involvement

V. Methods for Demonstration of Chemosensory Pathways

VI. The Vomeronasal System as a Pheromone Detector

VII. Conclusion

References

9 Pheromones and Reproduction in Domestic Animals

I. Introduction

II. Signalling Pheromones

III. Priming Pheromones

IV. Conclusions

References

Index