Scent communication between species

Pheromones are volatile chemicals that allow communication between individuals via air or water, over a distance which can be quite long. That is, one individual animal produces and emits a chemical that changes the biochemistry and physiology of another member of the same species. This can result in changes in social or sexual behaviour. The pheromones are known more generally as smells or scents. Communication via pheromones is well... 

Chest-marking in the koala occurred primarily upon introduction to an unfamiliar tree and declined thereafter. Females rarely chest-marked (only one chest mark was seen in over 20 15-min trials), and highest levels of chest-marking behavior were seen in males 5-10 years old males 1-2 years old marked less frequently (Fig. 5). This is probably related to the fact that puberty occurs at between 1 and 3 years of age and the sternal gland first appears at about 1 year of age in this species (Thompson, personal communication). Thus, age, sex, and time-related aspects of scent-marking in the koala were remarkably similar to those seen in the gray opossum (c.f.. Fig. 1). 

Flower scent is extremely variable between plant species, but often monoterpenes are the dominating group of compounds in floral odor bouquet. Flowers of one plant species can emit more than 100 scent compounds. Linalool, (3-ocimene and p-myrcene are monoterpenes that have been most-oft reported from flowers. Proportion of monoterpenes of the total scent is variable depending on the age of flowers and the part of the flower analyzed, but their proportion in many cases exceeds 50% of the total flower emission. The ratio of different compounds in flower scent affects the composition of pollinating insect communities. Wasps, flies, beetles and butterflies have a different odor preference in addition to preferences of visible flower colors. Specialized pollinator species use the combination of visual and olfactometric cues of flowers to detect their specific host species. 

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