Behavioral responses to odors from other species: introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebrates
It has long been known that the behavior of an animal can be affected by odors from another species. Such interspecific effects of odorous compounds (allelochemics) are usually characterized according to who benefits (emitter, receiver, or both) and the odors categorized accordingly (allomones, kair...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnins.2015.00226/full |
| _version_ | 1818132196098048000 |
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| author | Birte L Nielsen Olivier eRampin Nicolas eMeunier Nicolas eMeunier Vincent eBombail |
| author_facet | Birte L Nielsen Olivier eRampin Nicolas eMeunier Nicolas eMeunier Vincent eBombail |
| author_sort | Birte L Nielsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It has long been known that the behavior of an animal can be affected by odors from another species. Such interspecific effects of odorous compounds (allelochemics) are usually characterized according to who benefits (emitter, receiver, or both) and the odors categorized accordingly (allomones, kairomones, and synomones, respectively), which has its origin in the definition of pheromones, i.e. intraspecific communication via volatile compounds. When considering vertebrates, however, interspecific odor-based effects exist which do not fit well in this paradigm. Three aspects in particular do not encompass all interspecific semiochemical effects: one relates to the innateness of the behavioral response, another to the origin of the odor, and the third to the intent of the message. In this review we focus on vertebrates, and present examples of behavioral responses of animals to odors from other species with specific reference to these three aspects. Searching for a more useful classification of allelochemical effects we examine the relationship between the valence of odors (attractive through to aversive), and the relative contributions of learned and unconditioned (innate) behavioral responses to odors from other species. We propose that these two factors (odor valence and learning) may offer an alternative way to describe the nature of interspecific olfactory effects involving vertebrates compared to the current focus on who benefits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T08:32:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a79b90d5ad0d460eaa21c81f48a3a06a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T08:32:59Z |
| publishDate | 2015-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-a79b90d5ad0d460eaa21c81f48a3a06a2022-12-22T01:14:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2015-06-01910.3389/fnins.2015.00226151130Behavioral responses to odors from other species: introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebratesBirte L Nielsen0Olivier eRampin1Nicolas eMeunier2Nicolas eMeunier3Vincent eBombail4INRAINRAINRAUniversité de Versailles St-Quentin en YvelinesINRAIt has long been known that the behavior of an animal can be affected by odors from another species. Such interspecific effects of odorous compounds (allelochemics) are usually characterized according to who benefits (emitter, receiver, or both) and the odors categorized accordingly (allomones, kairomones, and synomones, respectively), which has its origin in the definition of pheromones, i.e. intraspecific communication via volatile compounds. When considering vertebrates, however, interspecific odor-based effects exist which do not fit well in this paradigm. Three aspects in particular do not encompass all interspecific semiochemical effects: one relates to the innateness of the behavioral response, another to the origin of the odor, and the third to the intent of the message. In this review we focus on vertebrates, and present examples of behavioral responses of animals to odors from other species with specific reference to these three aspects. Searching for a more useful classification of allelochemical effects we examine the relationship between the valence of odors (attractive through to aversive), and the relative contributions of learned and unconditioned (innate) behavioral responses to odors from other species. We propose that these two factors (odor valence and learning) may offer an alternative way to describe the nature of interspecific olfactory effects involving vertebrates compared to the current focus on who benefits.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnins.2015.00226/fullLearningOlfactionInterspecific interactionskairomonessemiochemicalsallomones |
| spellingShingle | Birte L Nielsen Olivier eRampin Nicolas eMeunier Nicolas eMeunier Vincent eBombail Behavioral responses to odors from other species: introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebrates Frontiers in Neuroscience Learning Olfaction Interspecific interactions kairomones semiochemicals allomones |
| title | Behavioral responses to odors from other species: introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebrates |
| title_full | Behavioral responses to odors from other species: introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebrates |
| title_fullStr | Behavioral responses to odors from other species: introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebrates |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behavioral responses to odors from other species: introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebrates |
| title_short | Behavioral responses to odors from other species: introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebrates |
| title_sort | behavioral responses to odors from other species introducing a complementary model of allelochemics involving vertebrates |
| topic | Learning Olfaction Interspecific interactions kairomones semiochemicals allomones |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnins.2015.00226/full |
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