Oct 11, 2010

PSY 3364 Chemical communication

Animal Communication
• Hormones - chemicals that operate
internally to facilitate communication
between the brain and organs involved in
growth, digestion, reproduction

Chemical communication Chemical communication

• Pheromones - chemicals that operate • Allomones - chemicals that are transmitted
externally to facilitate communication with to the members of other species, such as
other members of the same animal species predators and prey (skunks)
(conspecifics).

Functions of pheromones
(1) to defend a territory from conspecifics
– dogs use urine to mark territorial boundaries and track
these markers carefully.
(2) to promote aggregation
– examples: social insects like termites and ants use
various messages to coordinate complex activities of
the colony
(3) to alert others to food sources
– ants lay scent trails leading to a food source that helps
others find the food
Functions of pheromones
(4) to alert others of danger
– alarm pheromones are used to signal the presence of
danger (fire ants)
– injured minnows emit a chemical from skin cells that
causes others to disperse
(5) sexual attraction
– widely used in mammalian courtship, sexual attraction
and copulatory behavior. In many species of mammals,
female animals emit a sexual attractant pheromone to
indicate mating readiness
– chemical signals can trigger hormonal changes that
stimulate ovulation and/or sexual maturation

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 Functions of pheromones
(6) coordination of parent-young interactions (in
vertebrate animals)
(7) there may even be pheromones that signal status
in a dominance hierarchy within a group
Pheromones
• Pheromones are volatile molecules which,
when released into the air, form an
elongated
g pplume called an active space
p the compound
(Wilson, 1970).
Modes of transmission
• Current flow (in air or water)
• Diffusion (movement along a
concentration gradient)
• Movement of receiver toward source
Pheromones in insects
• Male silkworm moths travel
up to 30 miles in response to
the
h ffemale l sex attractant,
following the pheromone
trail in the air.
Pheromones
• The shape and the size of the active space
varies depends on the molecular weight of
p and the wind velocity y
(Robinson,1994).
Sex attractant pheromones in moths
• When a male moth detects pheromone
molecules emitted by the female, he begins
to search for the point source.
• He uses wind direction as a method of
orientation. This process is called anemotaxis.
odor plume
Source
wind direction
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 Pheromones as honest signals Pheromones as honest signals
• Zahavi (1975) suggested that pheromones
• Example:
may serve as honest signals and provide
– Female tiger moths pick their mate based on the
reliable information because they accurately
amount of ppheromone released. The chemical
reflect
fl t the
th signaler's
i l ' ability
bilit or resources. attractant is derived from plant toxins which
protect the eggs and are transmitted to the
female during mating.

Pheromones as honest signals Chemoreception

• Example:
– Male garter snakes chose females based on size.
Larger
g females release more ppheromones. The
greater the amount of pheromone released from
the female’s skin, the more offspring were
produced in the previous season.
• Two main types of chemoreceptors in
vertebrates:
– Olfaction (associated with respiratory
structures)
– Taste (contact receptors)
• Third type of chemoreceptor:
– Vomeronasal organ (VNO)

Chemoreception Chemoreception
• Reception of chemical signals is based on a • The receptor protein changes its shape or
temporary binding of odor molecules to chemical composition and initiates a set of
specific
p receptor
p molecules in a cell or chemical reactions that triggers
gg a nerve
chemosensory organ. impulse.
moth
sensilla

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 Chemoreception Types of receptor systems
• Nerves from the chemosensory cells are • Olfaction (smell) uses one of two strategies
collected in a ganglion or olfactory bulb for coding:
where the messages
g are processed
p and – Labeled-line coding
combined. – Across-neuron pattern coding

Types of receptor systems Vomeronasal organ (VNO)

• Labeled-line coding • Contact chemoreceptor found in most
– Sensory information is coded by receptor vertebrates except fish and birds.
neurons that are tuned to an array of specific
properties.
ti Example:
E l frequency
f coding
di ini the
th • Located in the palate below the nasal cavity.
cavity
cochlea • Responsive to non-volatile chemical
• Across-neuron pattern coding components of natural secretions.
– Sensory information is coded by the pattern of
activity across a set of neurons. Example: color
perception

Vomeronasal organ (VNO) Vomeronasal organ (VNO)

Snake
VNO

Hamster

Source: http://athena.neuro.fsu.edu/research/vomeronasal/ Source: http://athena.neuro.fsu.edu/research/vomeronasal/

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 Vomeronasal organ (VNO) Human pheromones?
• Electrical activity in VNO tissue in
response to chemical stimulation

Olfactory tract
Olfactory nerves

Flehmen
Hippocampus

Vomeronasal nerves

Vomeronasal organ

Human pheromones? Pheromones and immune system

• Chemicals found in sweat and other human • Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)
secretions appear to affect mood • Mice (even highly inbred mice) tend to
• Infants appear to distinguish breast pads choose mates that differ from them in terms
worn by
b their
h i mothers
h fromf other
h mothers
h of the MHC.
• Menstrual “synchrony” seen in women who • Animals probably detect information about
live or work together MHC through odors or odor-pheromone
mixture

Sex pheromone mimicry

Tactile communication
• “Sex pheromone mimic lures two moths to
their doom” (Science, 24 June 2002) • Limited to close range
communication
• Bolas spiders – do not build webs, but sling
a single strand of silk across a gap and a • Functions:
second strand with a sticky end. – Courtship
• Chemicals are released that mimic the sex – Pair bonding
pheromones of female moths. When a male – Parent-young interactions
moth approaches the spider uses its silk line – Play
as a lasso.

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 Tactile communication Weak electric fields
• Duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus
• Chacma baboons spend a significant anatinus)
amount of time in “social grooming.”
–CCleans fur,, removing
g pparasites
– Reinforces social bonds between animals
– Releases endorphins, lowers stress hormones

Lateral line organ

Lateral line organ
• Lateral line organ
– mechanoreceptors – sense of touch
• Ampullary lateral line organ
– electroreceptors – electrical sensitivity

Weakly electric fish Weakly electric fish

Glass knife fish, Eigenmannia virescens • Electrical organ discharge (EOD)

• “jamming avoidance response”
• EOD range of up to 1 meter

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Signal Properties Chemical Acoustical Visual Tactile Signal Properties Chemical Acoustical Visual Tactile

Range Long Long Medium Very Range Long Long Medium Very
short short

Transmission rate Slow Fast Fast Fast Transmission rate Slow Fast Fast Fast

Flow around barrier Yes Yes No No Flow around barrier Yes Yes No No

Night use Yes Yes No Yes Night use Yes Yes No Yes

Fadeout time Slow Fast Fast Fast Fadeout time Slow Fast Fast Fast

Locatability of sender Difficult Fairly easy Easy Easy Locatability of sender Difficult Fairly easy Easy Easy

Cost to sender (energy Low High Low to Low Cost to sender (energy Low High Low to Low
expense) moderate expense) moderate

Signal Properties Chemical Acoustical Visual Tactile Signal Properties Chemical Acoustical Visual Tactile

Range Long Long Medium Very Range Long Long Medium Very
short short

Transmission rate Slow Fast Fast Fast Transmission rate Slow Fast Fast Fast

Flow around barrier Yes Yes No No Flow around barrier Yes Yes No No

Night use Yes Yes No Yes Night use Yes Yes No Yes

Fadeout time Slow Fast Fast Fast Fadeout time Slow Fast Fast Fast

Locatability of sender Difficult Fairly easy Easy Easy Locatability of sender Difficult Fairly easy Easy Easy

Cost to sender (energy Low High Low to Low Cost to sender (energy Low High Low to Low
expense) moderate expense) moderate

Signal Properties Chemical Acoustical Visual Tactile Signal Properties Chemical Acoustical Visual Tactile

Range Long Long Medium Very Range Long Long Medium Very
short short

Transmission rate Slow Fast Fast Fast Transmission rate Slow Fast Fast Fast

Flow around barrier Yes Yes No No Flow around barrier Yes Yes No No

Night use Yes Yes No Yes Night use Yes Yes No Yes

Fadeout time Slow Fast Fast Fast Fadeout time Slow Fast Fast Fast

Locatability of sender Difficult Fairly easy Easy Easy Locatability of sender Difficult Fairly easy Easy Easy

Cost to sender (energy Low High Low to Low Cost to sender (energy Low High Low to Low
expense) moderate expense) moderate

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Signal Properties Chemical Acoustical Visual Tactile Signal Properties Chemical Acoustical Visual Tactile

Range Long Long Medium Very Range Long Long Medium Very
short short

Transmission rate Slow Fast Fast Fast Transmission rate Slow Fast Fast Fast

Flow around barrier Yes Yes No No Flow around barrier Yes Yes No No

Night use Yes Yes No Yes Night use Yes Yes No Yes

Fadeout time Slow Fast Fast Fast Fadeout time Slow Fast Fast Fast

Locatability of sender Difficult Fairly easy Easy Easy Locatability of sender Difficult Fairly easy Easy Easy

Cost to sender (energy Low High Low to Low Cost to sender (energy Low High Low to Low
expense) moderate expense) moderate