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Books Received
Primate-Science / PrimateLit


PHEROMONES AND ANIMAL BEHAVIOR: COMMUNICATION BY SMELL AND TASTE



By Tristram D. Wyatt

Cambridge University Press, 2003

FROM THE BACK COVER

We are entering one of the most exciting periods in the study of chemical 
communication since the first pheromones were identified some 40 years ago. 
The rapid progress that has been made is reflected in this book for 
advanced undergraduates and researchers, which is the first to cover the 
whole animal kingdom at this level for 25 years. The importance of chemical 
communication is illustrated with examples from a diverse range of animals 
including humans, marine copepods, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, 
moths, snakes, goldfish, elephants and mice. The book is designed to be 
advanced and up to date, but at the same time accessible to readers 
whatever their scientific background. For students of ecology, evolution 
and behaviour, it gives an introduction to the rapid progress in our 
understanding of olfaction at the molecular and neurological level. In 
addition, it offers chemists, molecular biologists and neurobiologists an 
insight into the ecological, evolutionary and behavioural context of 
olfactory communication.

TRISTRAM WYATT is a senior researcher in the Department of Zoology at the 
University of Oxford, where he works on pheromones and behaviour. He is 
also Oxford University's Director of Online and Distance Learning and a 
Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface    xiii
Acknowledgements    xiv

1. Animals in a chemical world    1
1.1 Introduction    1
1.2 What are pheromones?    1
1.3 Evolution of chemical cues into signals    6
1.4 Secretory organs for pheromones    9
1.5 Functional signal design: contrasting different signal modalities    12
1.6 Specificity    16
1.7 Composite signals: pheromones working in concert with other 
modalities    17
1.8 Primer and releaser pheromones    18
1.9 Cost of signalling    20
1.10 Pheromones in humans?    22
1.11 Conclusion    22
1.12 Further reading    22

2. Discovering pheromones    23
2.1 Introduction    23
2.2 How are pheromones identified?    25
2.3 Bioassays    25
2.4 Collection of chemical signals    29
2.5 Separating the chemicals, finding the active components, and 
identifying them    31
2.6 Multi-component pheromones and synergy    34
2.7 New tools in pheromone research    35
2.8 Conclusion    36
2.9 Further reading    36

3 Sex pheromones: finding and choosing mates    37
3.1 Introduction    37
3.2 Mate choice and sexual selection    38
3.3 Which sex should call?    40
3.4 External fertilisation and chemical duets    41
3.5 Sexual selection, scramble and contest    43
3.6 Sexual selection, mate quality and courtship    46
3.7 Leks    57
3.8 Conflict between the sexes revealed in signalling    59
3.9 Alternative mating strategies    60
3.10 Sperm competition and mate guarding    61
3.11 Sex pheromones and speciation    64
3.12 Conclusion    72
3.13 Further reading    73

4 Coming together and keeping apart: aggregation and host-marking 
pheromones    74
4.1 Introduction    74
4.2 Aggregation pheromones and Allee effects, the advantages of group 
living    7
4.3 Host-marking pheromones    83
4.4 Conclusion    85
4.5 Further reading    86

5 Scent marking and territorial behaviour    87
5.1 Introduction    87
5.2 Why scent mark?    90
5.3 Scent fence hypotheses    91
5.4 Scent matching    91
5.5 Border maintenance hypothesis    96
5.6 Economics of scent marking patterns in territories    97
5.7 Dear enemies    99
5.8 Over-marking    99
5.9 Scent marking in non-territorial mammals    100
5.10 Conclusion    101
5.11 Further reading    101

6 Pheromones and social organisation    102
6.1 Introduction    102
6.2 Colony, kin, family and individual recognition    103
6.3 Pheromones and reproduction in social groups: control or signalling    113
6.4 Conclusion    128
6.5 Further reading    128

7 Pheromones and recruitment communication    129
7.1 Introduction    129
7.2 Foraging ecology and evolution of recruitment communication    133
7.3 Social insects as self-organising systems    141
7.4 Conclusion    144
7.5 Further reading    145

8 Fight or flight: alarm pheromones    146
8.1 Introduction    146
8.2 Evolution of alarm signals between related individuals    147
8.3 Evolution of alarm signals in unrelated individuals    157
8.4 Conclusion    162
8.5 Further reading    163

9 Perception and action of pheromones: from
receptor molecules to brains and behaviour    164
9.1 Introduction    164
9.2 Chemical cues: perception and interpretation by the brain    166
9.3 Vertebrate dual olfactory system    178
9.4 Moths and sex pheromones    186
9.5 Factors affecting behavioural and physiological responses to 
pheromones    188

9.6 Primer pheromones and reproduction    192
9.7 Olfactory cues and recognition learning    198
9.8 Developmental paths or metamorphosis prompted by pheromones    202
9.9 Conclusion    205
9.10 Further reading    205

10 Finding the source: pheromones and orientation behaviour    206
10.1 Introduction    206
10.2 Investigating orientation behaviour mechanisms    207
10.3 Ranging behaviour: search strategies for finding odour plumes,
trails or gradients    209
10.4 Finding the source: orientation to pheromones    210
10.5 Conclusion    227
10.6 Further reading    228

11 Breaking the code: illicit signallers and receivers of semiochemical 
signals    229
11.1 Introduction    229
11.2 Eavesdropping    230
11.3 Chemical communication in mutualisms    237
11.4 Deception by aggressive mimicry of sex pheromones    240
11.5 Propaganda    241
11.6 Specialist relationships of predators, guests and parasites of social 
insects    244
11.7 Conclusion    249
11.8 Further reading    249

12 Using pheromones: applications    251
12.1 Introduction    229
12.2 Pheromones used with beneficial and domestic animals    251
12.3 Pheromones in pest management    255
12.4 Pest resistance to pheromones?    267
12.5 Commercialisation - problems and benefits of pheromones    267
12.6 Conclusion    269
12.7 Further reading    269

13 On the scent of human attraction: human pheromones?    270
13.1 Introduction    270
13.2 Cultural and social aspects of odours and humans    273
13.3 Evidence that olfaction is important in human behaviour and biology    274
13.4 Candidate compounds for human pheromone odours    285
13.5 Perception of odours    291
13.6 Putting human odours to use: applications    295
13.7 Conclusion    299
13.8 Further reading    300

Appendix A1 An introduction to pheromones for non-chemists    302
Appendix A2 Isomers and pheromones    304
Appendix A3 Further reading on pheromone chemical structure    309

References     310
List of credits    359
Index    371

PREFACE

Pheromones offer exceptional opportunities to study fundamental biological 
problems. Recent progress in the field is rapid. The excitement comes from 
the convergence of powerful techniques from different areas of science 
including chemistry and animal behaviour, combined with new techniques in 
genomics and molecular biology. For perhaps the first time, we can now 
investigate questions at every level: molecular, neurobiological, hormonal, 
behavioural, ecological, and evolutionary.

The discoveries from molecular biologists are likely to greatly expand our 
knowledge of the evolutionary biology of olfactory communication. Equally, 
molecular biology only makes sense in the context of evolution. Pheromone 
research almost always brings together biologists of many kinds and a rich 
diversity of chemists - each is approaching the other parts of the study as 
a non-specialist. This book is designed to bridge those gaps and to bring 
together people already working on pheromones and to encourage others to 
take up the challenge.

Different parts of the book emphasise examples from different taxa. For 
example, mammals feature more strongly than invertebrates in the sections 
on individual variation and hormonal effects of pheromones, but 
invertebrates dominate the chapter on searching behaviour. Because of 
pressure of space, the literature citations in the text are more to offer a 
way into the current literature than to give full credit for discoveries.

WHERE TO ORDER:

Cambridge University Press
110 Midland Avenue
Port Chester, NY 10573-4930

General phone: (914)937-9600
General fax: (914)937-4712

www.us.cambridge.org

ISBN: 0521485266 (paperback)    $40.00 USD
ISBN: 052148068X (hardcover)    $100.00 USD

Posted Date:  6/10/2003 

URL: http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/review/Pheromones.html
Page last modified: June 10, 2003
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