Olfaction in Nonhuman Primates

Laska, Matthias; Salazar, Laura Teresa Hernández

doi:10.1002/9781118971758.ch27

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Evidence of the critical role that chemosignals play in primate social behavior has been steadily increasing since the 1970s. In the past decade, research on non‐human primate olfactory communication has flourished, dispelling the notion of the “microsmatic” primate (Heymann, ; Laska & Salazar, ). Despite having smaller olfactory bulbs relative to brain size (Stephan, Baron, & Frahm, ) and a larger proportion of non‐functioning olfactory receptor genes (Gilad, Bustamante, Lancet, & Pääbo, ; Gilad, Man, Pääbo, & Lancet, ; Rouquier, Blancher, & Giorgi, ; Young et al, ) compared to other mammals, these morphological differences in primates do not directly translate to differences in olfactory ability (Laska & Hudson, ; Smith & Bhatnagar, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical composition of glandular secretions from a pair‐living monogamous primate: Sex, age, and gland differences in captive and wild owl monkeys (Aotus spp.)

Spence-Aizenberg

Kimball

Williams

et al. 2018

American J Primatol

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Broadening our knowledge of olfactory communication in strictly monogamous systems can inform our understanding of how chemosignals may facilitate social and reproductive behavior between the sexes. Compared to other social and mating systems, relatively little is known about olfactory communication in strictly monogamous non-human primates. Furthermore, platyrrhines are not well represented in chemical analyses of glandular secretions. We conducted semi-quantitative headspace gas chromatography with mass spectrometry to investigate the chemical components of glandular secretions from the subcaudal and pectoral glands of a strictly pair-living platyrrhine, the owl monkey (Aotus spp.). In this study, the first chemical analysis of a wild platyrrhine population, our goals were to (1) conduct a robust analysis of glandular secretions from both captive and wild owl monkey populations and (2) identify whether biologically relevant traits are present in glandular secretions. We also compared and contrasted the results between two Aotus species in different environmental contexts: wild Aotus azarae (N = 33) and captive A. nancymaae (N = 104). Our findings indicate that secretions from both populations encode sex, gland of origin, and possibly individual identity. These consistent patterns across species and contexts suggest that secretions may function as chemosignals. Our data also show that wild A. azarae individuals are chemically discriminated by age (adult or subadult). Among the captive A. nanycmaae, we found chemical differences associated with location, possibly caused by dietary differences. However, there was no noticeable effect of contraception on the chemical profiles of females, nor evidence that closely related individuals exhibit more similar chemical profiles in A. nancymaae. Overall, our data suggest that glandular secretions of both wild and captive Aotus convey specific information. Future studies should use behavioral bioassays to evaluate the ability of owl monkeys to detect signals, and consider whether odor may ultimately facilitate social and sexual relationships between male and female owl monkeys.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical composition of glandular secretions from a pair‐living monogamous primate: Sex, age, and gland differences in captive and wild owl monkeys (Aotus spp.)

Spence-Aizenberg

Kimball

Williams

et al. 2018

American J Primatol

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“…This suggests that at least these two mold-associated odorants may be behaviorally relevant for mice. A corresponding within-species comparison shows that among the 89 odorants tested so far with spider monkeys (Laska and Hernandez Salazar 2015 ), the mold-associated odorant with the lowest threshold value in the present study, 3-octanone, ranks only as number 27 concerning its threshold value. This suggests that the mold-associated odorants tested here might not be particularly relevant for the spider monkeys.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Similarly, we consider it as unlikely that the different modes of odor stimulus presentation used in the present study, an olfactometer with the mice and odorized paper strips with the spider monkeys, systematically affected our findings. If that was the case, then it would be difficult to explain that spider monkeys have been reported to be more sensitive than mice, using exactly the same methods as in the present study, with at least 11 odorants that have been tested with both species (Laska and Hernandez Salazar 2015 ; Laska 2017 ). Furthermore, we used a photo-ionization detector with both modes of odor presentation and verified that the gas-phase concentrations in the headspace above the odorants that we calculated using published vapor pressure data (Dykyi et al 2001 ) and classical gas law formulae (Weast 1987 ) corresponded well with the empirically obtained data.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Olfactory sensitivity for mold-associated odorants in CD-1 mice and spider monkeys

2018

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Using operant conditioning procedures, we assessed the olfactory sensitivity of six CD-1 mice and three spider monkeys for mold-associated odorants. We found that with all eight stimuli, the mice detected concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm (parts per million), and with two of them individual animals even detected concentrations as low as 1 ppt (parts per trillion). The spider monkeys detected concentrations as low as 4 ppm with all eight stimuli, and with four of them individual animals even detected concentrations as low as 4 ppb (parts per billion). Between-species comparisons showed that with all eight odorants, the mice displayed significantly lower threshold values, that is, a higher sensitivity than the spider monkeys, but not than human subjects tested in previous studies. Analysis of odor structure–activity relationships showed that in both species, the type of oxygen-containing functional group and the presence versus absence of a double bond as well as the length of the carbon backbone of the odor stimuli had a systematic effect on detectability. We conclude that both mice and spider monkeys are clearly able to detect the presence of molds and thus to assess the palatability of potential food using the volatiles produced by molds during putrefaction.

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“…Although only animals of one sex were available for testing, previous studies that included both male and female spider monkeys did not indicate systematic sex differences in olfactory sensitivity in this species (e.g. Laska and Hernandez Salazar, 2015). Similarly, although the estrous status of the female spider monkeys was not screened, unpublished data on our animals obtained in a previous study failed to find any indication of systematic effects of estrous cycle phase on olfactory sensitivity.…”

Section: Animalsmentioning

confidence: 55%

Spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) are less sensitive to the odor of aliphatic ketones than to the odor of other classes of aliphatic compounds

Eliasson

Salazar

Laska

2015

Neuroscience Research

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Olfaction in Nonhuman Primates

Cited by 12 publications

References 94 publications

Chemical composition of glandular secretions from a pair‐living monogamous primate: Sex, age, and gland differences in captive and wild owl monkeys (Aotus spp.)

Chemical composition of glandular secretions from a pair‐living monogamous primate: Sex, age, and gland differences in captive and wild owl monkeys (Aotus spp.)

Olfactory sensitivity for mold-associated odorants in CD-1 mice and spider monkeys

Spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) are less sensitive to the odor of aliphatic ketones than to the odor of other classes of aliphatic compounds

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