HORMONES IN COMMUNICATION | Hormonal Pheromones

N. Stacey, P. W. Sorensen

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Many fishes use sex hormones (steroids and prostaglandins) as pheromones (external chemical cues). Such hormonal pheromones are best understood in carps such as the goldfish, in which ovulating females release steroid and prostaglandin odorants that trigger ovulation in additional females and complex responses in males that facilitate sperm competition. The discovery of hormonal pheromones fundamentally changes our concept of fish reproduction by illustrating how endogenous hormonal signals that originally evolved to coordinate reproductive processes within the individual have been coopted as exogenous odorants that synchronize reproduction among conspecifics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationEncyclopedia of Fish Physiology
Subtitle of host publicationFrom Genome to Environment: Volume 1-3
PublisherElsevier
Pages1553-1562
Number of pages10
Volume1-3
ISBN (Electronic)9780123745453
ISBN (Print)9780080923239
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2011

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Behavior
  • Electro-olfactogram
  • Hormones
  • Olfaction
  • Olfactory sensory neuron
  • Oviposition
  • Ovulation
  • Pheromone
  • Prostaglandin
  • Reproduction
  • Spermiation
  • Steroid

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