Abstract
Chemosignals are mediators of social interactions in mammals, providing con- and hetero-specifics with information on fixed (e.g., species, sex, group, and individual identity) and variable (e.g., social, reproductive, and health status) features of the signaler. Yet, methodological difficulties of recording and quantifying odor signals, especially in field conditions, have hampered studies of natural systems. We present the first use of the Torion® portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument for in situ chemical analysis of primate scents. We collected and analyzed swab samples from the scent glands and skin from 13 groups (57 individuals) of two sympatric species of wild emperor tamarins, Saguinus imperator, and Weddell's saddleback tamarins, Leontocebus weddelli (Callitrichidae). In total, 11 compounds of interest (i.e., probably derived from the animals) could be detected in the samples, with 31 of 215 samples containing at least one compound of interest. The composition of these 31 samples varied systematically with species, group, sex, and breeding status. Moreover, we tentatively identified seven of the compounds of interest as methyl hexanoate, benzaldehyde, ethyl hexanoate, acetophenone, a branched C15 alkane, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, and hexadecan-1-ol. As the field of primate semiochemistry continues to grow, we believe that portable GC-MS instruments have the potential to help make progress in the study of primate chemosignaling in field conditions, despite limitations that we encountered. We further provide recommendations for future use of the Torion® portable GC-MS for in situ analyses.
Highlights
We have recently witnessed advances in the understanding and development of analytical methods for the study of semiochemicals—the chemical means of communication used by living species—in a range of vertebrate taxa (Müller‐Schwarze, 2006; Wyatt, 2014)
The development of modern analytical chemistry techniques has improved our ability to investigate a wide range of semiochemicals from the scent‐gland secretions and body odors of numerous mammalian species
The Inficon Hapsite® portable gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) device was used for the analysis of the body odor of common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus, in both captive (Kücklich et al, 2017) and wild (Thompson et al, 2020) conditions
Summary
We have recently witnessed advances in the understanding and development of analytical methods for the study of semiochemicals—the chemical means of communication used by living species—in a range of vertebrate taxa (Müller‐Schwarze, 2006; Wyatt, 2014). For example, there have been recent advances relevant to medicine and human evolution (e.g., chemosensory signals of major histocompatibility complex‐dependent mate selection, Havlíček & Roberts, 2009; Penn & Potts, 1998; Winternitz & Abbate, 2015; and of mother–infant recognition, Doucet et al, 2009; Vaglio, 2009) These findings led to the emergence of research on primate chemosignaling, at behavioral (e.g., Greene & Drea, 2014; Henkel & Setchell, 2018), chemical (e.g., Scordato et al, 2007; Setchell et al, 2010; Weiß, Kücklich, et al, 2018), and genetic levels (e.g., Knapp et al, 2006; Setchell et al, 2011). This study aims to: (1) Assess the success of the use of the Torion® GC‐MS for the analysis of primate semiochemicals, and provide advice for future field research using this device; (2) investigate differences in the chemical composition of wild callitrichid scent‐gland secretions, at the levels of species, groups, sex and breeding status, and between scent‐gland type; and (3) examine the putative identity of the compounds retrieved from these wild samples. Several functions have been attributed to callitrichid scent‐marking behavior, including the advertisement of identity, reproductive and dominance status; territorial advertisement and defense; and spatial orientation and signaling of food resource location (Epple, 1986; Lazaro‐Perea et al, 1999; Miller et al, 2003; reviewed in Heymann, 2006b)
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