Salamander scent marks: site of production and their role in territorial defence

Simons, Richard R.; Felgenhauer, Bruce E.; Jaeger, Robert G.

doi:10.1006/anbe.1994.1215

Cited by 39 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The glandular region most responsible for conveying diet quality information is likely to be the postcloacal gland, as this region is responsible for territorial advertisement via scent marks (Simons and Felgenhauer 1992;Simons et al 1994Simons et al , 1997Simons et al , 1999. Individuals mark the substrate with a characteristic "postcloacal press" behavior, leaving behind secretory products composed largely of proteins and carbohydrates (Hecker et al 2003;Chouinard 2010).…”

Section: Pre-feeding High-quality Low-qualitymentioning

confidence: 98%

“…This would suggest that there are behavioral benefits as a result of increased signal production due to quality dietary resources. For example, a larger volume of protein in the PCG will provide stronger scent marks that aid in defense of territorial resources (Simons et al 1994). Territorial scent marks function as advertisements of male status and are used accordingly in mate assessment by females (Mathis 1990a).…”

Section: Pre-feeding High-quality Low-qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mental and postcloacal glands were surgically excised. The glandular regions of interest were identified based on past morphological and histological analyses (Sever 1976;Simons and Felgenhauer 1992;Simons et al 1994Simons et al , 1999Hecker et al 2003), as well as personal confirmation via histology. Upon removal, glands were first rinsed in amphibian Ringer's solution and then placed in 200 μL of 0.8 mM acetylcholine chloride in Ringer's solution to help release the granular gland secretions (Hoffman and Dent 1977;.…”

Section: Gland Removal and Protein Assaymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The proteinaceous pheromones from this gland are administered directly to either the snout or the integument of females (depending on the species) and decrease the duration of courtship in multiple species (Houck and Reagan 1990;Rollman et al 1999). The postcloacal gland, however, has been implicated in territorial scent marking through a characteristic behavior termed the "postcloacal press" (Simons and Felgenhauer 1992;Simons et al 1994Simons et al , 1997Simons et al , 1999. The glandular secretions of the postcloacal gland are composed mostly of proteins and carbohydrates (Hecker et al 2003;Chouinard 2010), and these molecules are likely to be responsible for a large amount of the information transferred to receivers via scent marks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The communication of plethodontid salamanders relies heavily upon nonvolatile chemicals deposited on the substrate in the form of fecal pellets or glandular markings (Jaeger 1986;Simons et al 1994Simons et al , 1997Simons et al , 1999, volatile compounds (Martin et al 2005;Dantzer and Jaeger 2007a, b), as well as molecules transferred directly from the sender to the receiver (Rollman et al 1999). These chemical signals facilitate a wide variety of inter-and intraspecific functions, such as prey detection (Dickens 1999;Placyk and Graves 2002), predator avoidance (Murray and Jenkins 1999;Maerz et al 2001;Sullivan et al 2005), territoriality (Jaeger 1986;Quinn and Graves 1999), homing and orientation (Madison 1969;Madison and Shoop 1970;Kleeberger and Werner 1982), as well as mate choice and courtship (Rollman et al 1999;Palmer et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Rapid onset of mate quality assessment via chemical signals in a woodland salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

Chouinard

2012

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the competition to acquire mates, environmental factors can be important in determining the relative quality of an individual. These aspects of quality are often conveyed through signals used for mate assessment by the most energetically invested sex. In red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, chemical signals communicate a surprising amount of information, much of which is dependent on the current condition of the sender. One such conditiondependent aspect of information conveyed via chemicals is the quality of the sender's diet, but it is unclear as to whether this information is actively advertised by the sender (i.e., a signal) or simply inferred from food-derived odors (i.e., a cue). The amount of time on different diets required for changes in signaling is also unknown. I examined how quickly gravid female salamanders could detect a difference between the scents of males on high-vs. low-quality diets without fecal cues. The amount of protein present in two known signaling glands (the mental and postcloacal glands) was also measured after experimental feeding. Gravid females were able to infer the differences in male diet quality after only 1 week. Females also responded to the male scents more quickly after differential feeding had begun. High-quality males had significantly more protein present in both signaling glands than low-quality males. This scenario highlights the ongoing interplay between the quality of an individual and its environment, with males actually advertising the status of this relationship as an honest signal for mate assessment.

show abstract