Pheromones and Reproduction in Mammals

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.

Contenu

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