Pheromone and other chemical communication

Abstract

This was the first time, as far as we are aware, that the Conference of European Comparative Endocrinologists had included a session devoted specifically to chemical communication. Chemical communication between individuals of the same species has many obvious parallels with the endocrine systems within those individuals. Not only are both involved with specific chemical messengers, often at very low concentrations, that act via specific receptors to evoke specific physiological and/or behavioural effects in the receiver (target tissue) but, also, chemical messengers (pheromones) often evoke their effects by the endocrine and neuro-endocrine systems of the receiver. Many pheromones themselves have been shown to be hormones or their metabolites. Therefore Comparative Endocrinology is the natural home for those working in Chemical Communication. Jelle Atema gave the first State-of-the-Art lectures on ‘Chemical Communication in Decapod Crustacea’. Although Jelle, by his own admission, is not an endocrinologist, he finds himself faced by problems similar to those faced by early endocrinologists—finding, and identifying, the active components amongst the confusing mixture of chemicals that animals release into their (internal or external) environment. However, this lack of knowledge did not prevent Jelle from giving a presentation of how crustaceans, chiefly the American lobster, use chemical signals to recognise sex, dominance, moult state and even individual identity of conspecifics. It seems that lobsters have a good memory of males against which they have previously lost a fight; a useful ability in competitive lobster hierarchies. The second State-of-the-Art lecture by Lynda Corkum discussed ‘Chemical Communication in the Freshwater Environment’. Lynda gave an overview of the ways in which freshwater animals—crustacea, insects, fish and amphibians—use chemical communication and the uses to which they put these systems; specifically mate-finding