pheromones

• What are pheromones?

  Substances secreted to the outside of an individual and received by a second individual of the same species.
• What is bombykol?

  Bombykol is a silk moth sexual attractant.
• How far can a sensory response to a single pheromone molecule be detected?

  Up to 2 km away.
• How many molecules are needed to elicit a full behavioral response to bombykol?

  Only 5 molecules.
• What is 2-methylbut-2-enal?

  A rabbit mammary pheromone.
• Where is 2-methylbut-2-enal produced?

  By nipples and present in milk.
• What behavior does 2-methylbut-2-enal elicit in rabbits?

  Stereotyped nipple search behavior in the dark.
• Which system senses 2-methylbut-2-enal?

  The main olfactory system.
• What are androstenone and androstenol?

  Boar sex attractant pheromones.
• How are androstenone and androstenol released?

  In saliva via submaxillary glands.
• What behavior do androstenone and androstenol elicit in females?

  Attracts females and elicits mating stance.
• What pheromone elicits freezing behavior in mice?

  Mouse alarm pheromone.
• Which ganglion senses the mouse alarm pheromone?

  The Grueneberg ganglion.
• What happens when axons to the olfactory bulb are cut in mice?

  The mouse will walk around happily because they can’t sense the alarm pheromone.
• What is the chemosensory sub-system responsible for?

  Detecting carbon dioxide levels.
• Why do mice need to detect carbon dioxide levels?

  To initiate escape response due to CO2 buildup in burrows.
• What does the vomeronasal organ connect to?

  Both nasal and oral cavity.
• What is the function of the large blood vessel in the vomeronasal system?

  Contraction and relaxation for blood pumping.
• What is flehmen activity in animals?

  Animals suck fluid in by bearing teeth and throwing head back.
• What happens to male mice with a deficit in vomeronasal sensation?

  They show no aggression to other males.
• What is the effect of TRPC2 knockout in male mice?

  They mount both males and females equally vigorously.