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Poirier AC, Melin AD. Smell throughout the life course. Evol Anthropol 2024:e22030. [PMID: 38704704 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
The sense of smell is an important mediator of health and sociality at all stages of life, yet it has received limited attention in our lineage. Olfaction starts in utero and participates in the establishment of social bonds in children, and of romantic and sexual relationships after puberty. Smell further plays a key role in food assessment and danger avoidance; in modern societies, it also guides our consumer behavior. Sensory abilities typically decrease with age and can be impacted by diseases, with repercussions on health and well-being. Here, we critically review our current understanding of human olfactory communication to refute outdated notions that our sense of smell is of low importance. We provide a summary of the biology of olfaction, give a prospective overview of the importance of the sense of smell throughout the life course, and conclude with an outline of the limitations and future directions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice C Poirier
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Benítez ME, Painter MC, Guisneuf N, Bergman TJ. Answering big questions with small data: the use of field experiments in primate cognition. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Thompson CL, Bottenberg KN, Lantz AW, de Oliveira MAB, Melo LCO, Vinyard CJ. What smells? Developing in-field methods to characterize the chemical composition of wild mammalian scent cues. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4691-4701. [PMID: 32551053 PMCID: PMC7297786 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Olfactory cues play an important role in mammalian biology, but have been challenging to assess in the field. Current methods pose problematic issues with sample storage and transportation, limiting our ability to connect chemical variation in scents with relevant ecological and behavioral contexts. Real-time, in-field analysis via portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has the potential to overcome these issues, but with trade-offs of reduced sensitivity and compound mass range. We field-tested the ability of portable GC-MS to support two representative applications of chemical ecology research with a wild arboreal primate, common marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus). We developed methods to (a) evaluate the chemical composition of marmoset scent marks deposited at feeding sites and (b) characterize the scent profiles of exudates eaten by marmosets. We successfully collected marmoset scent marks across several canopy heights, with the portable GC-MS detecting known components of marmoset glandular secretions and differentiating these from in-field controls. Likewise, variation in the chemical profile of scent marks demonstrated a significant correlation with marmoset feeding behavior, indicating these scents' biological relevance. The portable GC-MS also delineated species-specific olfactory signatures of exudates fed on by marmosets. Despite the trade-offs, portable GC-MS represents a viable option for characterizing olfactory compounds used by wild mammals, yielding biologically relevant data. While the decision to adopt portable GC-MS will likely depend on site- and project-specific needs, our ability to conduct two example applications under relatively challenging field conditions bodes well for the versatility of in-field GC-MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia L. Thompson
- Department of Biomedical SciencesGrand Valley State UniversityAllendaleMIUSA
| | | | - Andrew W. Lantz
- Department of ChemistryGrand Valley State UniversityAllendaleMIUSA
| | - Maria A. B. de Oliveira
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia AnimalUniversidade Federal Rural de PernambucoRecifeBrazil
| | - Leonardo C. O. Melo
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia AnimalUniversidade Federal Rural de PernambucoRecifeBrazil
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Singletary B, Tecot S. Multimodal pair-bond maintenance: A review of signaling across modalities in pair-bonded nonhuman primates. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23105. [PMID: 32011759 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Only a handful of primate species exhibit the social relationship of pair-bonding. Efficient communication is critical for behavioral coordination within pair-bonds to maintain proximity and respond appropriately to extra-pair individuals, and possibly coordinate infant care. The use of complex signaling across modalities may help individuals improve communicative outcomes. We review many ways that pair-bonded species use signals to communicate and maintain bonds, though little previous research has taken a truly multimodal approach within a single species. We make a call for further investigation into pair-bonded communication using a multimodal approach to better understand how these species use all their senses to build, maintain, and advertise their bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stacey Tecot
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
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Eppley TM, Ganzhorn JU, Donati G. Latrine behaviour as a multimodal communicatory signal station in wild lemurs: the case of Hapalemur meridionalis. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Moreira LAA, de Oliveira DGR, de Sousa MBC, Pessoa DMA. Parturition Signaling by Visual Cues in Female Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129319. [PMID: 26047350 PMCID: PMC4457725 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
New World monkeys have polymorphic color vision, in which all males and some females are dichromats, while most females are trichromats. There is little consensus about which selective pressures fashioned primate color vision, although detection of food, mates and predators has been hypothesized. Behavioral evidence shows that males from different species of Neotropical primates seem to perceive the timing of female conception and gestation, although, no signals fulfilling this function have been identified. Therefore, we used visual models to test the hypothesis that female marmosets show chromatic and/or achromatic cues that may indicate the time of parturition for male and female conspecifics. By recording the reflectance spectra of female marmosets' (Callithrix jacchus) sexual skin, and running chromatic and achromatic discrimination models, we found that both variables fluctuate during the weeks that precede and succeed parturition, forming "U" and inverted "U" patterns for chromatic and achromatic contrast, respectively. We suggest that variation in skin chroma and luminance might be used by female helpers and dominant females to identify the timing of birth, while achromatic variations may be used as clues by potential fathers to identify pregnancy stage in females and prepare for paternal burdens as well as to detect oestrus in the early post-partum period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís Alves Antonio Moreira
- Laboratory of Sensory Ecology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Laboratory of Behavioral Endocrinology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Laboratory for the Advanced Study of Primates, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | | | - Maria Bernardete Cordeiro de Sousa
- Laboratory of Behavioral Endocrinology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Laboratory for the Advanced Study of Primates, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Daniel Marques Almeida Pessoa
- Laboratory of Sensory Ecology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Laboratory for the Advanced Study of Primates, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
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Ten unanswered questions in multimodal communication. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013; 67:1523-1539. [PMID: 23956487 PMCID: PMC3742419 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1565-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Revised: 04/04/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The study of multimodal communication has become an active and vibrant field. This special issue of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology brings together new developments in this rapidly expanding area. In this final contribution to the special issue, I look to the future and discuss ten questions in need of further work, touching on issues ranging from theoretical modeling and the evolution of behavior to molecular mechanisms and the development of behavior. In particular, I emphasize that the use of multimodal communication allows animals to switch between sensory channels when one channel becomes too noisy, and suggest that a better understanding of this process may help us both to understand the evolution of multisensory signaling and to predict the success of species facing environmental changes that affect signaling channels, such as urbanization and climate change. An expanded section is included on the effects of climate change on animal communication across sensory channels, urging researchers to pursue this topic due to the rapidity with which the environment is currently transforming.
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