Odor-guided behavior in mammals.

摘要: Abstract The odor-guided behaviors selected for presentation in this paper encompass the major areas of animal behavior, and illustrate important principal that complex relations exist between behaviors, hormonal state, experiential factors. Clearly, experiences with odors at several life stages results profound influences upon later including those related to eating, mating, fighting, nesting. Interestingly, only brief social encounters are needed rats induce such phenomena as ultrasonic calling conspecific estrous females or their odors, preferences over non-estrous short-term modification feeding behaviors. Although mechanisms behind these intriguing poorly understood, it is noteworthy can learn relatively concepts on basis rivaling even ability our own species analogous tasks by visual cues. Despite fact close relationships be demonstrated variables endocrine state sexual experience, caution warranted assuming simple causal variables. In normally cycling women, example, correlation olfactory sensitivity plasma levels estradiol during menstrual cycle high; however, attenuation cyclical fluctuations oral contraceptives does not eliminate fluctuations, suggesting relation causal. house mice, experience override factors urine marking submissive Thus, though androgen titer usually correlates measures, a mouse made subordinant encounter will exhibit scent when its circulating testosterone maintained high level silastic implant. Further reason comes from studies suggest input systems sexually experienced inexperienced animals different ways. For male rats, anosmia decreases increases corticosterone levels, whereas ones has no significant influence steroids. Taken together, observations bases number described complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)