pheromone

Also known as pheromones, infochemical

right|thumb|A fanning honeybee exposes [[Nasonov's gland (white – at tip of abdomen) releasing pheromone to entice swarm into an empty hive]]

AI overview

A pheromone is a chemical substance that an animal releases to communicate with other members of its species, such as when a honeybee exposes a gland to release pheromone that attracts the swarm to a new hive. These chemical signals matter because they allow animals to coordinate important behaviors like finding food, locating mates, or organizing group movements without needing to see or hear each other.

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Research

20,997 papers

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Wikidata facts

Image: Diffuseur pheromones.jpg

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Commons category: Pheromones

Sources (4)

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~24 min read

Article

30 sections

Contents

Background
Categorization by function
Aggregation
Alarm
Epideictic
Territorial
Trail
Sex
Other
Categorization by type
Releaser
Primer
Signal
Pheromone receptors
In the olfactory epithelium
In the vomeronasal organ
Evolution
Evolution of sex pheromones
Avoidance of inbreeding
Applications
Pheromone trapping
Animal husbandry
Human sex pheromone controversies
Axillary steroids
Vaginal aliphatic acids
Stimulators of the vomeronasal organ
See also
References
Further reading
External links

right|thumb|A fanning honeybee exposes [[Nasonov's gland (white – at tip of abdomen) releasing pheromone to entice swarm into an empty hive]]

A pheromone () is a chemical that is secreted or excreted by an organism, which triggers a social response in members of the same species. There are alarm pheromones, food trail pheromones, sex pheromones, and many others that affect behavior or physiology. Pheromones are used by many organisms, from basic unicellular prokaryotes to complex multicellular eukaryotes. Their use among insects has been particularly well documented. In addition, some vertebrates, plants and ciliates communicate by using pheromones. The ecological functions and evolution of pheromones are a major topic of research in the field of chemical ecology.