NETAJI SUBASH OPEN UNIVERSITY

Role of
Pheromone in
Animal
Behaviour
By- Sanjeet Kumar Singh
Enrollment number-
221089230017
Roll no-00108957955
Session-2023
What Are Pheromones?
Definition:
Pheromones are chemical substances secreted
by an organism to communicate with others of
the same species.

Key Points:
Used for communication between members of
the same species.
Can influence behaviour, reproduction and
social interactions
Play a crucial role in communication(mating,
alarm, social structure).
Detected through the olfactory system (sense
of smell) and vomeronasal organ (VNO) in
many animals.
Discovery of Pheromones
• Key Historical Events-
• The First Pheromone to be discovered
was bombykol, the sex pheromone of the
silk moth, in 1959.
• German Biochemist Adolf Butenandt and
his team at the Max Planck Institute of
Biochemistry in Munich were the first to
identify and chemically characterize
bombykol
• Peter Karlson and Martin Lüscher (1959):
Coined the term "pheromone" to describe
chemical signals in animals.
• Studied ants, showing that ants use
chemical signals to communicate,
especially for trail marking.
Characteristics of Pheromone:-
Intra Species-Same species
Mostly Volatile-Vaporizes in air
Low Molecular Weight and Low Concentration
Released externally into the environment
Secreted through sweat ,urine ,saliva , feaces
Functions in marking territory ,attracting mates ,and signalling danger

Diverse chemical structure composed of hydrocarbon, terpenoids,steroids

Difference Between Hormone and Pheromone
HORMONE PHEROMONE
FEATURE
Definition Hormones refers to the regulatory Pheromone refers to chemical substances to
substances, which are transported in the which are realeased into the environment by
blood or sap stimulating specific cells to the animals and insects.
perform their function.
Target It affect the individual owns body. It affect the behavior of other animal of same
species.
Location of It act inside the body of animal or plant that Act outside the released body of animal or
action secrete it insects that secrete it.
Mode of Detected by the olifactory system(sense of Bind to specific receptor on target cells.
action smell) and sometimes by specialized
receptors
Function Coordinate the function of the body along Act as a messenger to the attract males
with the nervous system. towards the female ,aiding sexual
Have a wide range of Function in the body. dimorphism.
Have few Function in the body
Types of Pheromones-:
Aggregation Pheromone Trail
attract individuals of the same species to Guide others along a route, often used by ants.
gather in groups.
Alarm Territorial
Warn others of dangers, prompting a Mark territories, communicating dominance
defensive response and territorial boundaries.

Signal Primer Pheromones

It causes short term changes such as the
Signal sexual readiness and attraction,
neurotransmitter release that activates a
influencing mating and fertility
response
Releaser Sex Pheromones
Trigger immediate behaviors like sexual Signal sexual readiness and attraction,
Detection of pheromone in insects.
• Certain insects have antennae
adapted to detect pheromones.
• The male silk moth's antennae
are equipped to sense
pheromones.
• The structures involved include
sensillae coeloconicae (pit-like)
and sensillae basiconicae (short
rod-like).
• These structures function as
chemo-receptors for detecting
chemical signals.
Detection of Pheromones in vertebrate.
• Snake-The male snake tests
each side of these objects
with its forked tongue and
recognises which side the
female has pushed against.

• Mammals- Mammals
detect pheromones using the
olfactory system in their nose,
which includes the
vomeronasal organ (VNO) and
the main olfactory epithelium
(MOE)
Examples of Pheromones in Vertebrates
E.g.1-Hippopotamus male marks its pathway between aquatic resting places and
feeding grounds by depositing dung. This it does by defecating while walking on the
trail by moving its tail rapidly from side to side. The
faeces get splashed and deposited all over the vegetation above the
ground level. Thus, the scent is placed at the nose height to make it
more noticeable.

E.g.2-Male tigers select specific places and mark their territories with a
pheromone called tiger-amine. It is a milky thick fluid with a strong smell
and is passed out along with the urine.

E.g.3 Adult males of pronghorn and sambar mark their areas during their
mating season with their droppings and urine

E.g.4 Foxes, coyotes and dogs use only the urine to mark its territories.
Glands producing pheromone in vertebrate
(a) Anal glands: ex-Spiny anteater, Male
Tasmanian devil ,black and red tamarin
(b) Salivary gland:-Some mammals such as
bears, dogs, pigs, rats etc.)
(c) Miscellaneous gland-The stags of Roe deer
mark their territories with secretions from
glands present on the forehead, metacarpal
as well as from urine and anal glands.
I. e.g. Male musk deer mark their territorial
boundaries with scent secreted from a sac
present on their belly, to attract females.
II. e.g. In camels, scent glands are situated on
the neck which are rubbed against the
objects to be marked and play an
important role in mating.
Sources and Chemical composition of
pheromone
• These are often made of long-
chain alcohols, aldehydes, or
acetates with up to three
double bonds.
• They can also be made of
fatty acids, isoprenoids, and
other compounds.
Function of pheromone in vertebrate
01 • Sexual behavior • Pheromones can trigger sexual arousal and attract
mates. For example, some moths and butterflies can
detect a potential mate from up to 10 kilometers
away
02 • Social interactions • Pheromones can attract or repel conspecifics, and
mark food trails, social groups, and territory.
03 • Danger alerts • Pheromones can alert other individuals about
predators, intruders, or disease.
04 • Recognition
Pheromones can help mothers recognize their
offspring.
05 • Pest management
Pheromones can be used to manipulate the behavior
of pests, such as insects, for monitoring, population
control, or other purposes. These methods are species
specific and environmentally friendly.
• Evolution of social
06 In social insects, primer pheromones can help maintain
harmony
colony homeostasis and evolve social harmony.
Glands producing pheromone in insects
I. Locust - epidermal cells
II. Butterfly and moth-gland called
androconia located on wings. Fig(A)
A) Androconia of butterflies
and moths
III. Queen butterfly -released by the male
and brushed on the female by a pair of
brush-like structure called hair pencils.
These are present at the tip of the
B)Scent Cups of Amauris males abdomen
IV. On each side of the hind wings of Amauris
males,there are small scent glands for
producing pheromone. Fig(B)
V. Plodia, pheromones are secreted from
invaginated glands which open on either
C)Invaginated Scent glands in
side of the last abdominal segment. Fig(C)
Plaodia
 VI. Honey bees –
a)Mandibular glands are located in the head
region. It is a saclike structure and their duct
D)Mandibular gland of Honey bee opens at the base of the mandible . They are
well-developed in the queen and workers but
reduced in drones.(Fig D)
b) Nassanoff’s gland:-in honey bees is found
below the inter-segmental membrane
E)Nasanoff’s gland of Honey bee (arthrodial membrane) between the 6th and
7th abdominal segments.(Fig E)
VII. In ants
trail pheromone is released by Solenopsis
from its Pavan’s gland; in Myrmica from
poison gland; in Lasius from rectal, gland.
F)Scent producing glands in Ants (Fig F)
Reviewing concepts is a good idea

Cartesian Dualism Mind

Mercury is the smallest Venus is the second Earth is the only planet
planet of them all planet from the Sun known to harbor life

Skepticism Logical Body

Despite being red, Mars is Jupiter is the biggest Saturn is a gas giant and
actually a cold place planet in the Solar System has several rings
Adverse Effect of Pheromones
• Danger of being get attacked by predator.
• Competition for food Insects can release anti-aggregation pheromones to
repel other insects from competing for food.
• Disrupting natural mating patterns or social structures, potentially harming
animal populations.
• Interference with Natural Social Interactions by altering how individuals
perceive or interact with each other, it could disrupt natural social dynamics,
leading to misunderstandings, feelings of manipulation, or altered
perceptions of attraction or trust.
Pheromones in Humans
• Human pheromones are chemical
substances produced and released by
the body that are believed to
influence the behavior, physiology,
and communication of other humans.
While pheromones are well-
documented in animals and insects for
purposes such as mating or marking
territory, the evidence for their role in
humans is less definitive.

• Compounds like androstenone and

androstadienone, derived from
sweat,tear,saliva,urine are considered
possible human pheromones.
 Conclusions
Pheromone are chemical signals emitted by organism to influence behavior of
1 physiology of same species.

Chemical messenger act externally, affecting communication, mating other

2 behaviour.

3 Pheromone act externally while hormone act internally

4 Various type of structure on body for producing and receiving pheromone

Various type of Pheromone also with different chemical composition

5 alarm,trail,aggregation etc.
6 Human pheromone is still a debatable topic and still lack scientific evidence.