Vomeronasal chemoreception

Wysocki C.J. (1989). Vomeronasal chemoreception its role in reproductive fitness and physiology. Prog Neurol Neurobiol 50, 545-566. 

Vomeronasal chemoreception in vertebrates a study of the second nose / Charles Evans, p. cm. 

Graves, B. M. and Halpern, M. (1990). Roles of vomeronasal chemoreception in tongue-flicking, exploratoiy and feeding behavior of the lizard, Chalcides ocellatus. Animal Behaviour 39,692-698. 

Placyk, J. S. and Graves, B. M. (2002). Prey detection by vomeronasal chemoreception in a plethodontid salamander. JoarnflZo/C/iem/cflZEcoZo 28,1017-1036. 

Wysocki, C. J. (1989). Vomeronasal chemoreception its role in reproductive fitness and physiology. InNeuralContwlofReproductiveFunction, ed. J. Lakoski, B., Haber, R. Perez-Polo and D. Rossin, pp. 545-566. New York Alan Liss. 

C. Evans, Vomeronasal Chemoreception in Vertebrates. A Study of the Second Nose, Imperial College Press, London, 2003. 

Graves B.M. (1993). Chemical delivery to the vomeronasal organs and functional domain of Squamate chemoreception. Brain Behav Evol 41, 198-202. 

Meredith M. and O Connell R.J. (1988). HRP uptake by olfactory and vomeronasal receptor neurones use as indicator of incomplete lesions and relevance for nonvolatile chemoreception. Chem Senses 13, 487-515. 

Vertebrates possess three primary chemosensory systems gustation ( taste ), trigeminal, and olfaction ( smell ) but only one of these, the olfactory system, mediates responses to pheromones. Chemicals that stimulate the olfactory system are known as odorants and comprise one type of biological cue (any entity that stimulates a sensory system). Bouquets of odorants that can be discriminated as specific entities are termed odors. The olfactory system contains olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) that comprise cranial nerve I and project directly to the forebrain. ORNs are now known to express only one to a few olfactory receptor proteins ( receptors ), which means that the chemoreceptive range of each neuron can be very narrow. The olfactory system also has several subcomponents including the vomeronasal organ, which is described below. 

The two components of the VN system examined in the present study are the vomeronasal organ and the accessory olfactory bulb. The VNO is a paired, chemoreceptive structure present at the base of the nasal septum in most terrestrial mammals, amphibians and reptiles. The VNO s bipolar receptor neurons detect pheromonal signals (Halpem, 1987 Farbman, 1992). 

The once controversial concept of functional olfaction in birds is now firmly established on the basis of anatomical, behavioral, and physiological evidence. Olfactory structures are present in all birds examined and their general characteristics are the same as those of reptilian and mammalian olfactory systems. A notable difference in chemoreceptive systems appears to be the absence in birds of both the vomeronasal system and the terminal nerve. 

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