Pheromones

Pheromones (from Greek pherein = to carry and hormone), also known as ectohormones, are secreted, volatile, animal messenger substances that are used for the transmission of information between individuals within a species (sociohormones; Fleischer J et al. 2018). In insects they generally consist of 5-20 C atoms, e.g. isopentenoids, peptide derivatives.

Releaser pheromones: Pheromones that trigger only one behavioural response in the recipient are called releaser pheromones.

Primer pheromones: Pheromones that cause a plurality of physiological changes in the recipient are called primer pheromones.

aggregation pheromones, serve to attract other conspecifics

Sexual pheromones serve to attract sexual partners.

Aphrodisiac pheromones are used for sexual stimulation. Aphrodisiacal pheromones can also act as stomach poisons. They are often transferred to the females during mating and then to the brood (the brood's chances of survival are increased).

Alarm pheromones serve to warn of predators

Marking and trace pheromones of the marking of territories and paths.

The mode of action of pheromones can be derived from the above-mentioned classification.

Insect pheromones (bees, ants, butterflies; (Fleischer J et al. 2018; Steiger S et al. 2017) are the best studied. The effect of pheromones in other e.g. animal species, e.g. mammals, is only partially understood so far (Liberles SD 2014). Steroidal compounds play an important role in the pheromones of mammals (Doyle WI et al. 2018). They play an important role in the delimitation of territories and hierarchies. In mammals, the pheromones are perceived via the sense of smell (N. olfactorius) but also via the vomero-nasal organ in the nasal vestibule. They can cause certain emotional or vegetative reactions.

It is remarkable that also different Remarkable is that also different plants use pheromones to attract certain insects (Xu H et al. 2018).

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2. Fleischer J et al. (2018) Access to the odor world: olfactory receptors and their role for signal transduction in insects. Cell Mol Life Sci 75:485-508.
3. Liberles SD (2014) Mammalian pheromones. Annu Rev Physiol76:151-75.
4. Steiger S et al (2017) Pheromones involved in insect parental care and family life. Curr Opin Insect Sci 24:89-95.
5. Tittiger C et al (2017) Pheromone biosynthesis in bark beetles. Curr Opin Insect Sci 24:68-74.
6. Xu H et al. (2018) Plant volatiles as mate-finding cues for insects. TrendsPlant Sci 23:100-111.