The role of chemical communication in mate choice

Abstract

Chemical signals are omnipresent in sexual communication in the vast majority of living organisms. The traditional paradigm was that their main purpose in sexual behaviour was to coordinate mate and species recognition and thus pheromones were conserved in structure and function. In recent years, this view has been challenged by theoretical analyses on the evolution of pheromones and empirical reports of mate choice based on chemical signals. The ability to measure precisely the quantity and quality of chemicals emitted by single individuals has also revealed considerable individual variation in chemical composition and release rates, and there is mounting evidence that prospecting mates respond to this variation. Here, we review the evidence for pheromones as indicators of mate quality and examine the extent of their use in individual mate assessment. We begin by briefly defining the levels of mate choice--species recognition, mate recognition and mate assessment. We then explore the degree to which pheromones satisfy the key criteria necessary for their evolution and maintenance as cues in mate assessment; that is, they should exhibit variation across individuals within a sex and species; they should honestly reflect an individual's quality and thus be costly to produce and/or maintain; they should display relatively high levels of heritability. There is now substantial empirical evidence that pheromones can satisfy all these criteria and, while measurements of the actual metabolic cost of pheromone production remain to some degree lacking, trade-offs between pheromone production and various fitness-related characters such as growth rate, immunocompetence and longevity have been reported for a range of species. In the penultimate section, we outline the growing number of studies where the consequences of chemical-based mate assessment have been investigated, specifically focussing on the reported direct and genetic benefits accrued by the receiver. Finally, we highlight potential areas for future research and in particular emphasise the need for interdisciplinary research that combines exploration of chemical, physiological and behavioural processes to further our understanding of the role of chemical cues in mate assessment.

Beyond species recognition: somatic state affects long-distance sex pheromone communication

“…Although chemical signalling remained understudied for a long time, it has been well established in recent years that sexual selection is a major force driving the evolution of chemical traits [2][3][4][5]. Both, the quantity as well as the composition of a pheromone have been shown to be under sexual selection [6,7].…”

“…Chemical communication is the most ancient and widespread form of communication in the animal kingdom and plays a fundamental role in mate choice [1,2]. Although chemical signalling remained understudied for a long time, it has been well established in recent years that sexual selection is a major force driving the evolution of chemical traits [2][3][4][5].…”

The Long and the Short of Mate Attraction in a Psylloid: do Semiochemicals Mediate Mating in Aacanthocnema dobsoni Froggatt?

“…Mating in animals is preceded by a series of events that can be broadly categorized into searching and courtship (Shuker and Simmons 2014 (which provide species and sex specific information), short range signals may be utilized during courtship and may provide information specific to an individual's quality (Johansson andJones 2007 ; Ringo 1996 ). Insects also can utilize chemical, visual, and acoustic modalities to exchange information and coordinate complex courtship behaviors (Robinson et al 2005; Sanborn 2008; Sweeney et al 2003.…”

“…Insect signaling systems are highly diverse and most likely reflect phylogenetic traits retained over evolutionary time shaped by physical constraints, most notably from the environment Vehrencamp 2011a ; Johansson andJones 2007 ). For these reasons, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) and substrate-borne vibrations (SBVs) have been used in systematic studies of a range of taxa (Bagnères and Wicker Thomas 2010; Kather and Martin 2012; Percy et al 2006.…”

Pheromone Research—Still Something to Write Home About

“…The possible link between physiological and ecological costs of chemical signals and the maintenance of signal honesty needs further investigation. In the context of sexual communication, it becomes increasingly clear that pheromones do not merely transfer information concerning the presence of a potential mate but also enable the receiver to assess mate quality and to choose a mate accordingly (Johansson and Jones 2007). All these questions, of course, are not completely new to chemoecologists, but I believe that the potential of pheromones in this respect has not yet been tapped and deserves our increased future attention.…”