Are mammal olfactory signals hiding right under our noses

摘要: Chemical communication via olfactory semiochemicals plays a central role in the social behaviour and reproduction of mammals, but even after four decades research, only few mammal have been chemically characterized. Expectations that chemical signals are coded by quantitative relationships among multiple components persisted since earliest studies semiochemistry, continue to direct research strategies. Nonetheless, chemistry excretions secretions characteristics those identified show as likely be single compounds mixtures, presence absence their quantities. There is very scant support for view code specific ratios between components, no evidence they depend on Gestalt or image. Of 31 whose composition known, 15 component 16 presence/absence, one may ratio two none them images. The expectation underpins use multivariate statistical analyses chromatographic data, ways which statistics commonly used search active mixtures leads messenger sent being overlooked. Research needs accommodate possibility simple qualitative differences less than complex encode signals.