| Title: | "Chemical composition of scent-gland secretions in an old world monkey (Mandrillus sphinx): influence of sex, male status, and individual identity" |
| Author(s): | Setchell JM; Vaglio S; Moggi-Cecchi J; Boscaro F; Calamai L; Knapp LA; |
| Address: | "Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK. joanna.setchell@durham.ac.uk" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1464-3553 (Electronic) 0379-864X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Primates are traditionally considered to be microsmatic, with decreased reliance on olfactory senses in comparison to other sensory modalities such as vision. This is particularly the case for Old World monkeys and apes (catarrhines). However, various lines of evidence suggest that chemical communication may be important in these species, including the presence of a sternal scent-gland in the mandrill. We investigated the volatile components of mandrill odor using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We identified a total of 97 volatile components in 88 swabs of the sternal gland secretion and 95 samples of sternal gland hair saturated with scent-gland secretion collected from 27 males and 18 females. We compared odor profiles with features of the signaler using principle components and discriminant function analyses and found that volatile profiles convey both variable (age, dominance rank in males) and fixed (sex, possibly individual identity) information about the signaler. The combination of an odor profile that signals sex, age, and rank with increased motivation to scent-mark and increased production of secretion in high-ranking males leads to a potent signal of the presence of a dominant, adult male with high testosterone levels. This may be particularly relevant in the dense Central African rain forest which mandrills inhabit. By contrast, we were unable to differentiate between either female cycle stage or female rank based on odor profiles, which accords with behavioral studies suggesting that odor signals are not as important in female mandrills as they are in males. The similarity of our findings to those for other mammals and in primates that are more distantly related to humans suggests a broader role for odor in primate communication than is currently recognized" |
| Keywords: | Age Factors Animals Female Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Hair/chemistry Male Mandrillus Odorants/analysis Principal Component Analysis Scent Glands/*chemistry/metabolism Sex Factors Social Behavior Volatile Organic Compounds/chemistry; |
| Notes: | "MedlineSetchell, Joanna M Vaglio, Stefano Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo Boscaro, Francesca Calamai, Luca Knapp, Leslie A eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2010/01/22 Chem Senses. 2010 Mar; 35(3):205-20. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjp105. Epub 2010 Jan 20" |
